Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu
by blackfoxX10
Summary: Death was not an option. His only salvation was to create a world where he could watch his family live happily. A world where he could stay in peace. A world where humans did not hate each other. Maybe he could. His family seemed to have utmost belief in him. Yes, Naruto's always been different. Different from the other Uchihas. Sharingan and Rinnegan Naruto. Godlike Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I honestly love Naruto FanFictions with him having the sharingan. So, I just had to write one. There's just something about those red eyes which is captivating. Also, this story is completely alternate universe and most of the time will not follow the events in the canon. There maybe similar instances though.**

 **So, in this story both Minato and Naruto have Uchiha lineage. Naruto while being an Uchiha will be an Uzumaki. He will have both Indra's and Ashura's chakra in him, which basically forms Hagoromo's chakra. His personality will be sort of a mix of Indra's and Ashura's instead of him having _entirely_ Hagoromo's personality. Minato will be alive in this story. The story will feature the relationship between Naruto, Minato, Hinata and the people close to him. I do hope you all come to like the story!**

 **I know some people may come to think that because Naruto is born strong, he won't have any issues facing other shinobis or that this would be a banal story. But, I just want to say, this story is about Naruto's journey through life. The decisions he will make that will affect him and others around him. How Naruto will learn from the experiences he goes through. And he will be facing enemies later on who will be stronger than him.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the adventure begin**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Legacy**

* * *

 _Uchiha…_

 _Namikaze Uchiha Naruto…_

A four-year-old boy was strolling through the forests of Konohagakure No Sato. His hair a mix of blonde and few strands of brown in it. He had long spiky hair, which seemed to reach up to his shoulders. Two jaw length bangs on each side and on the front of his face, a bit of hair seemed to reach down to his right eye.

He knew he was different. Different than the kids his age. While other kids would play in the park with other children and think of whether to play ninja tag or just run around, he would often think about life and death, or how the different shinobi villages were at each other's throats to prove themselves superior to the other.

One may say any four-year-old kid who thinks that way would need to consult a medic to verify whether his/her cognitive functions are right for their age or not.

But Naruto knew there was nothing wrong with his brain functioning. It's just how he was raised. He was not sugarcoated about the horrors of the shinobi world unlike other kids. His tou-chan often told him stories about different shinobi villages and the stories of the wars when he asked him about it.

 _His tou-chan…_

 _Namikaze Uchiha Minato. Yes, Naruto is the son of the great_ _ **Yondaime Hokage**_ _of Konohagakure No Sato._

Naruto was a smart boy for his age. Although he did not like to boast about it, he believed he would probably be the smartest person in his age group when he joins the Shinobi Academy of the village when he's of age. It was not hard for him notice how the people of the village hailed his father as a hero and scorned him for reasons he did not understand. Ever since he could understand the human language and went out of the house alone on the streets of Konoha, he would see people glaring at him. He would often hear people whispering words like _Demon, Monster, Kyubi, Traitor_ but he ignored it. No one did ever say those awful things to him to his face unless they would bring the wrath of a pissed off Hokage and the Uchiha Clan. ' _Being the son of Yondaime Hokage and grandson of Uchiha Madara has its merits I suppose'._ Mused Naruto as he kept walking.

Naruto was respected by the Uchiha Clan. It was mainly because he had the blood of the strongest Uchiha running in his veins. Until recently, it was not a well-known fact to everyone that the current Hokage, Minato Namikaze was an Uchiha. Not just any Uchiha, but the son of the legendary Uchiha Madara. The only ones who were aware of that fact were Jiraiya, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze, Senju Tsunade and the deceased Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Uchiha Clan too were aware of Minato and Naruto's heritage. Even though Madara was considered a traitor in the village, no one could ever doubt Minato's loyalty. His deeds during the Third Great Shinobi War single handedly won Konoha her victory. The Uchiha Clan who had become restless earlier since they felt their power was considerably decreasing in the village calmed down as one of their own, even if the son of Uchiha Madara, could become the leader of the village.

Minato was different from some of the power-hungry fools in his clan. He had his pride, but was not overly arrogant to believe that he was invincible. Growing up an orphan since the age of 5 in the village had instilled a humbler nature in him, which he instilled in his son, Naruto, as well.

As Naruto was walking aimlessly amidst the forest of Konohagakure No Sato, his thoughts then lingered to his mother.

 _His dead mother._

Her name was Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze. She was from a village known as Uzushiogakure No Sato. The Uzumaki were distantly related to the Senju Clan and both the clans are believed to have the same progenitor. Naruto was told that his mother passed away during the dreadful night when a monster called the Kyubi No Yoko attacked the village. He was even more astonished to hear that it was the Sandaime Hokage and his father who defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox. Although, it came at a high price as the Sandaime lost his life that night. It was during the attack that Minato was forced to reveal his sharingan to the others, which he normally hid under an advanced genjutsu.

What Naruto did not know is that the very same Kyubi No Yoko was sealed inside of him, as it is impossible to kill a bijuu, a being made entirely of chakra. Let alone, the strongest of them all.

Naruto may have had to grow up an orphan, had it not been for his ji-chan. Naruto started calling Sarutobi with that informal name after listening to all the stories his father told him about the former Hokage. The Sandaime had used a **Kinjutsu** to seal the Yang half of the Nine-Tailed fox inside baby Naruto just hours after he was born, while he sealed the Yin half of the fox inside himself. It was Sarutobi's wish that Naruto grew up with a father standing by his side and becomes the beacon of light in the shroud of darkness that entraps humanity.

Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks as he realized he had been walking without a destination in his mind for quite some time now. He looked around to see where he exactly was and observed several ruined stone buildings around himself. It dawned on him that he must be quite far from his home because he didn't exactly know where he was right now.

'Ah crap. I got lost again. I should stop wandering here and there without letting tou-chan know about it. He's not going to like it.' Thought Naruto as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. A trait he received from his father.

He then noticed a gigantic tree with a half visible symbol on it covered by several bushes growing near the tree. He went towards the tree and stood directly in front of it. He moved his hand towards it and removed the bushes covering the symbol he noticed earlier.

What he found was quite astonishing. It was the Symbol of Konohagakure No Sato. On its left and right side were the clan symbols of the Senju and the Uchiha respectively. He looked around turning his head left and right to get a better view of the place he was standing on. There were several ruined stoned buildings, few scattered kunai, katanas and the Senju and Uchiha Clan symbols on each side of the tree respectively. He moved around the place a bit to see if his keen eyes could find something. And what he found was various scrap marks as well as burn marks on the trees which looked decades old. He came back to his earlier position, once again standing before the giant tree, as he came to the correct conclusion.

 _Flashback_

 _A three-year-old Naruto was happily tucked under the comforts of his blanket in his bed by his tou-chan, Minato._

" _Eh Eh tou-chan? I have a question." Said an excited Naruto._

 _Minato took a nearby chair and sat near his precious son and smiled looking at him. "Yes Naru?"_

 _Naruto always loved the nicknames his father gave him. He always had a tough time coming up with nicknames for people. So, he believed it took one a lot of time to come up with them and he loved the fact that his father spends time thinking about him. Even though he had a sharp mind, he was still a child, and that's what Minato loved among the many things about him. He could show maturity and wisdom one second and the next second he would act his age of being a child._

" _How was our village formed? What was here in this place before Konoha was built?" Naruto asked, his face showing how excited he was to learn different things._

" _Hmm... well do you remember what I told you about my father and the Shodaime Hokage of our village?"_

" _Yes tou-chan! Madara-sofu and Senju Hashirama belonged to the two noble clans, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan. And both were the leaders of their clan when they formed an alliance between themselves to form the first hidden village which today is known as Konohagakure No Sato". Naruto said._

 _Minato nodded and patted his head once affectionately to signify what he said was correct. Naruto puffed his chest to show how proud he was that he knew his village's history._

" _So before Konoha was formed, it was a time where most clans fought with each other to gain more lands and resources for themselves. You know, during those times also there were people as wealthy as the Daimyo. And these wealthy people hired shinobi from clans to do chores that their average workers were not capable of. Do you understand what I said so far?" Minato asked._

 _Naruto nodded and Minato continued to tell the tale._

" _So one clan would target the wealthy person who was using shinobi from their rival clan. So, if the clan can take out that wealthy person, their rival clan will lose resources. That will bring their rival clan's status down. The Uchiha and Senju Clan also fought over similar reasons. The place where our village stands today, was the battlefield of many wars fought between those two clans. When the two clans formed an alliance, they decided to choose a place where both the clans have met, whether be in battle or in a meeting."_

" _So, does that answer your question Naru?" Minato asked as he finished telling the story in simpler words so Naruto could understand them easily._

" _Yes tou-chan. You are the best!". Naruto told his father as he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep._

" _Sleep well Naru." Minato said kissing his son's forehead._

 _Flashback end_

'This must have been one of the main areas of the fight between the Uchiha and the Senju before the village was formed.' Thought an excited Naruto.

He then noticed there was some sort of annotation below the Konoha village symbol. He moved his hands below the symbol and just traced the note with his hand once. He moved his face closer to get a better look at it.

' _On this day, the Senju and the Uchiha Clan join hands with each other to form an alliance to build a better future for the coming generations to come. It was Madara's and my dream that one day we could stop the endless fighting that seems to have plagued this world. On this very land, we stand on, our new home is going to be built._

 _Konohagakure No Sato. A village built on the foundation of_ _ **Will of Fire.**_

 _A place, where young will not have to be sent for battles, where children will have a chance to live a normal childhood. Especially a home, where parents will not have to bury their own children. It is my belief that one day, the people of this world will look past each other's differences and look each other eye to eye. This my dream for the future._

 _Hashirama Senju, Senju Clan Leader'_

Naruto was filled with awe upon reading the words written by the Shodai Hokage. While he was reflecting on the words of the former Hokage, he realized his grandfather Uchiha Madara was also mentioned in the annotation. He felt a bit sad that he never got to meet him. His father had told him a lot of things about his Sofu.

'Why did you have to leave me and tou-chan alone in the village Madara-sofu? I never got to spend time with you unlike tou-chan.' Thought Naruto a bit deflated.

Naruto looked up from his spot towards the sky, and saw the sun was about to set. He gazed at the reddish sky for a while longer and closed his eyes and let the calm breeze flowing in the air graze his face.

Suddenly, he felt someone touch his shoulders from behind and tensed a bit thinking, someone was attacking him.

"Naru? What are you doing so deep in the forests at this time?" The person asked with concern.

His father's voice calmed his nerves and he turned around and hugged his father who was bending down on his legs to Naruto's eye level.

"Sorry tou-chan. I kind of got lost on the road of life." Naruto smirked seeing his father's eye twitch.

'Damn you Kakashi. I will need to talk to you about this.' Thought Minato.

He looked at his son's eyes and softly said, "I was concerned Naru. I looked for you at home and grew worried not finding you there. Next time, you tell me okay? Something could have happened to you, you know."

"Sorry tou-chan. It won't happen again. Promise!" Naruto said looking down at his feet as he realized how worried his father might have become. His tou-chan was the closest person to him and he never wanted to hurt him.

"Come on now. It's alright. Good thing is, you are alright. It's a father job to worry about their child you know." Minato said with a smile and ruffled his son's hair, gaining a goofy smile from him.

"Let's go home now. I will make us some dinner. What do you want to have tonight?" Minato held Naruto's right hand in his left and started walking towards the village.

"RAMEN!" shouted the four-year-old boy.

'Hah. Guess, me and Naruto did get our eating habits from Kushina.' Minato thought with a small smile as he and Naruto were walking back home.

* * *

Although there are many civilians and shinobi alike who dislike Naruto for what he carries, there are also those who absolutely cherish the young blonde boy.

 _Kakashi Hatake_ , a former student of Minato who is now an ANBU agent. He is the son of the famed _**White Fang**_ , Sakumo Hatake. With his gravity defying silver hair and the face mask which he always has on, many find him an odd fellow. Till today, it's a mystery to almost everyone about his facial features. His hitae-tae is always pulled down to cover his left eye, containing a sharingan eye. The unique doujutsu of the Uchiha Clan was given to him by his former teammate and friend Obito Uchiha in his last moments, who died fighting during the Third Great Shinobi War. The exploits of the young shinobi during his ninja career were so impeccable, that he earned himself the moniker of _**Sharingan No Kakashi**_.

There are several more shinobis that are ANBU agent as well as normal Jounin of the Leaf village who have taken a liking to Naruto. Yugao and Kurenai were both students of Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze. They all felt horrible when news of Kushina's untimely death during the Kyubi's attack was revealed to the village. Hence, they often took time to visit baby Naruto when his father was busy. Mikoto Uchiha, matriarch of the Uchiha Clan and Fugaku Uchiha, Clan head of the Uchiha Clan, who were close friends of Minato and Kushina since childhood often visited baby Naruto along with their two sons Itachi and Sasuke. Mikoto had taken a liking to little Naruto from the moment she laid eyes on him and often spent a lot of time with him and helped raise him whenever she could.

 _Jiraiya of the Sannin,_ one of the three students of the late Sandaime Hokage and the sensei of Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He gained the title of Sannin during the Second Great Shinobi War during his fight with _**Hanzou**_ _**the Salamander**_ , as a testimony of the battle prowess he showed. Even though, he proclaims himself to be a 'super pervert' and often considered by others as an idiot, he's by far the strongest of his two teammates, Senju Tsunade and Orochimaru. Among his many special attributes is his ability to harness nature chakra or _senjutsu,_ thus making him a sage. Since he was taught senjutsu by the Toad summons, he's widely known as _**Gamma Sennin**_.

The two ramen chefs at the Ichiraku Ramen Store in Konohagakure No Sato, are among the nicest people Naruto could ever meet. He was first taken there on his third birthday. Teuchi, a fifty-year-old man is the one who mainly runs the store and his teenage daughter, Ayame helps him around with the dishes and customers.

* * *

 _The Next day_

Naruto and Minato were both sitting on the grassy field of their backyard in the Namikaze estate. The father and son duo sat under shade of a sakura tree, enjoying the calm breeze of the afternoon sun. Even though, Minato's status as an Uchiha was now revealed he did not wish to live in the Uchiha compound. He knew growing up in the Uchiha compound for Naruto might not be a good idea. Considering he is the son of the Hokage and his heritage, most of the clan members around him will start to have expectations of him to become something great and start placing him on a pedestal above an average child.

'Living out here with me, apart from the clan, at least his life will not become a competition of achievements. The council members of the Uchiha Clan won't try anything idiotic as long as I'm here.' Minato thought. He was brought out of his musings, as he felt Naruto tap his hands.

"Yes Naru?" He asked.

"Tou-chan, I want to become a shinobi." Naruto said looking at his feet.

"Oh? Why do you want to Naru?" He asked softly.

"I… I want to become strong like you. I want to live in a peaceful world. You told me, there's so much hatred in this world. That people from other villages won't talk to us properly, because they think we are a threat to them. I want to change that. I want everyone to stay happy. I don't want people to die anymore… I don't want you to die" Naruto said the last part in a whisper still looking down at his feet.

Minato was left speechless upon hearing his son's reasoning. He has witnessed a lot of things in his shinobi life, in which death of a shinobi took the upper rank. He looked at his son with calculating eyes, studying his posture. Naruto thought he must have said something wrong since his father wasn't replying to him. He looked at his father and saw him looking at him intently. He was about to speak something when his father beat him to it.

"Naru, do you know why a shinobi fights? Why we shinobi kill each other?"

"To protect someone close to us." Naruto said, remembering his father telling him that once.

"That is true. In this shinobi world, there is no right or wrong. Everyone in this world fights for something they think is right. Something which may seem right to you, may look wrong to someone else. Do you understand son?" Minato asked. He could see his son was in deep thought, looking at his facial expression. His left eyebrow was raised slightly and both of his hands were folded over his chest. 'He's so much like me and tou-san when we are deep in our thoughts.' He thought with a bit of nostalgia.

"Yes tou-chan. I think I do." Naruto said as he slowly nodded his head.

"You have an admirable dream Naruto. You know, most kids your age would say, they want to become strong for their own sake. But, to become strong to protect someone else is one of the wisest traits a person can portray." Minato said with a smile.

Naruto was really glad to have his tou-chan with him. He loved how his father could make him feel happy all the time. He went and hugged Minato tightly for a few seconds, enjoying being in his presence.

When they parted, Minato made Naruto sit on his lap and said, "Naru, the life of a shinobi is never easy. It is full of sacrifices, hardships, hatred and you must do lots of things which you, yourself may feel is wrong. My sensei once told me, a shinobi is one who stands firm and endures. I will teach you everything I know about being a shinobi, but at the end it is up to you, how you make use of that teaching, okay?"

"Hai tou-chan. Now can we get started please?" He asked a bit impatiently.

Minato inwardly smiled seeing his son so happy on the prospect of being a shinobi. 'How much ever smart he may seem, Naru is still a kid right now. I wish you were here to see our son grow up Kushina. I promise, I will always stand by your side no matter what happens, my little Naru.'

"Yes. I know. Calm down Naru. Get up and follow me now okay?" Minato asked getting a nod from the young boy.

Naruto followed his father to a small pond a few distances away from the sakura tree. He saw his father sitting down cross legged and he too sat down in the same position facing Minato.

"Naru. Listen closely to me from now alright?" Minato said and saw Naruto nod his head.

"Today, we are going to unlock your chakra. In our world, essentially everything contains chakra. Starting from humans, to animals and even trees and plants. Chakra is a form of life energy and those who run out of chakra eventually die. Chakra is produced within chakra coils that mainly surround and connect to each organ that produces chakra. Shinobi generate and release it outside their bodies through pressure points which are called tenketsu points." Minato paused in between to look at Naruto and found him to be listening to him intently.

"Did you understand what I said up till now?" Minato asked.

"Hai tou-chan." Naruto said.

Minato was about to continue when he saw a questioning look on his son's face.

"Naru? Do you have a question?"

"Tou-chan. You once told me, since you are the Hokage, you have the most chakra in the village. So, does that mean, you also have more tenketsu points than the others?" Naruto asked.

Minato smiled a bit seeing Naruto question. He remembered how he used to question his father when he started teaching him the ways of molding chakra in his early years after his mother's unfortunate death.

"No Naru. Every person has a fixed number of tenketsu points, which is 361. When a person trains for years and conserves chakra, their chakra coils tend to expand, thus increasing that person's chakra reserves. Some people are born with more chakra while some with comparatively less. People belonging to shinobi family are born with fairly larger chakra than those in civilian family." Minato looked at his son again and saw him nod understanding that Naruto followed his words.

"Now, we will try and unlock your chakra" He said and Naruto smiled with excitement visible in his eyes.

"Now Naru, relax your body and put the palms of both your hands together and hold it in front of your chest and close your eyes. Keep focus on yourself and nothing else okay? Try and find a warm pull in your body." Minato said and saw Naruto sitting in the instructed position and closing his eyes.

It had been about ten minutes that Naruto was sitting in the same position with his hands clasped in front of him.

'I wonder if he's going to unlock it in his first try. It's very rare but not impossible.' Thought Minato as he saw his son concentrate.

Meanwhile, Naruto's breathing had become light and his mind in a perfect state of calmness. He searched deep within his body for a warm thing and saw a bluish-purple light. He instantly pulled out his hands and grabbed it.

Minato was thinking along those lines when there was a sudden burst of immense purple chakra from Naruto creating spider web cracks on the ground they were sitting on.

Minato's eyes widened on seeing the grounds crack around him and Naruto. He saw how wildly the chakra flowed and swirled around Naruto's body. 'So much of chakra and such density at such a young age. Incredible!'

The chakra output continued for a while and soon Naruto opened his eyes seeing his father looking at him with widened eyes. He felt so incredible now. He could sense his father's chakra in front of him and was amazed at how large it was. He could also pinpoint two people standing on the east side of his house. 'Must be those shinobi working specially for tou-chan.' He thought.

"I did it tou-chan" he whispered in a tired a voice. He smiled seeing his father's stupefied expression and tried standing up.

He put his hands on the ground and stood up with shaky legs. As soon as he took two steps forward, his vision became a bit hazy and he started falling towards the ground. Minato quickly stood up from his sitting position and moved to catch Naruto before he fell.

"I'm proud of you Naru. You must be tired now huh?" Minato asked getting a weak nod from Naruto. He placed him in his arms safely and felt him fall asleep immediately. He brushed his hair softly once and heard him release a content sigh.

"There's no doubt in my mind, you will go on to achieve great things my son. Whatever path you shall choose in life, just know I will always be there by your side." He whispered softly.

Minato then took Naruto inside the house and laid him gently on the sofa of the living room.

"Sleep well Naru" Minato said as he kissed his forehead once.

He then looked at the clock and saw it was around 4:30 in the afternoon. 'I should get done with some of my paperwork. I will take Naru for Ramen at night.' Minato thought as he made his way to his office inside the house.

 _Few hours Later_

It was around eight at night that Naruto began to slowly open his eyes. He rubbed his eyes once to get adjusted to the light in the room. He realized he must have fallen asleep right after he unlocked his chakra.

He looked around the room and saw he was on the couch in the living room. 'Tou-chan must have put me here.' He thought. He got up from the couch and folded the blanket and kept it aside. He walked towards the kitchen to see it was empty.

Naruto remembered how he could pinpoint the location of the two ANBUs who were standing just outside his house and sense the amount of chakra his father possessed. So, he closed his eyes and tried finding his father's chakra.

"Ah. He's there in the office room." Naruto thought with a smile. He immediately opened his eyes and made his way upstairs to his father.

Minato was busy doing his paperwork when he heard the door open and looked up to see his son.

"Naru? When did you wake up?" Minato asked.

"Tou-chan! I'm hungry. Can we have dinner now?" Naruto blurted out immediately. He then rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Just give me a few minutes' okay? We'll go out to Ichiraku Ramen." Naruto smiled upon hearing his father say that and ran to his room to get dressed.

"So much of useless paperwork. I don't know if it ever gets over." Minato cursed. For the past few hours all he had been doing was sit on this chair and sign away the papers. Most of it was requests made for random tasks by the civilians. He realized just thinking about it wouldn't get his job done any faster. He went through the remaining documents on his desk to check if anything required his immediate attention and then made a **Kage Bunshin** with no hand sign and ordered it to finish rest of the paperwork. The clone gave Minato a glare and begrudgingly got to doing the work. Meanwhile, Minato walked out of the room with a smirk thinking, 'Hah! I doubt anyone ever thought about using clones to get the job done faster'.

Even though Minato could have used the **Kage Bunshins** to do the work the entire time, he only used it when he had other important things to do. Most of the time, he had to go through the papers himself in case it was an important document.

Minato went down towards the main door to see Naruto waiting there quite impatiently. It still amused him, how much his son loved ramen. It was among the few things which could make his son act his own age.

"Ready to go Naru?" He asked looking at Naruto.

"Hai tou-chan! Come on, let's hurry up!" Naruto exclaimed. He held on to his father's hand and both walked out of the house towards the only ramen store in Konohagakure No Sato.

* * *

It was a cold night in the village hidden in the leaves. It was the month of November and snow was yet to fall. There was a strong wind blowing, because of which most of the civilians were already inside their house. There were several ANBU as well as normal shinobi were strolling the streets of the village.

Most of the Clan Houses were on the outskirts of the village, which seemed quite desolate at nights. The Namikaze Compound was on the far east side of the village near the Uchiha Compound. Even though, several questions regarding to move the Uchiha Clan further away from their original place was raised after the Kyubi attack, Minato dissolved any further discussions on the matter with an absolute no. Even if Minato wasn't raised by the Uchiha Clan or did not abide by their laws, he was still born an Uchiha. He may not like some people of the clan, but they were still part of Konoha and he wouldn't want to watch them get isolated from the village integrity or be moved from the grounds where they have lived since the founding days of the village.

Minato and Naruto walked out of the Namikaze Compound and made their way towards the shop. Along the way, the father and son duo made ideal talks about what they will be doing tomorrow and certain points about Naruto's start of training. It was mostly Naruto doing the talking and Minato listening to his four-year-old boy talk. Naruto, himself felt slightly excited at the prospect of becoming a shinobi. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he knew he could do it. He wanted to become powerful. He had heard stories of his grandfather's battle prowess and it captivated him to think someone so powerful could ever exist. It maybe childish to think, but he did promise himself, 'I will become stronger than anyone this world has ever seen'. Unconsciously he gripped his father's hand tighter. Minato noticed his son's face as they were nearing the shop and saw how calm he looked as his tilted head gazed at the night sky. 'I wish you were here to see him Kushina'. He thought.

Both the father and son were brought out of their thoughts as they realized they had reached the ramen shop.

"Hokage-sama! Naruto-kun!" said both Teuchi and Ayame as they saw Minato and Naruto come inside the shop. The father and son then took a seat as they greeted the two ramen store owners.

"Teuchi and Ayame, how many times have I told you not to call me with formalities? You guys have known me for years." Minato said.

"It's only the right thing to do _Hokage-sama_ " said Teuchi with a sly grin. Minato sighed knowing it wouldn't do any good.

Ayame looked at Naruto and asked, "Naruto-kun, what would you have today? The same as always?" Naruto nodded quickly as he was starting to get really hungry.

"I will have the same as Naru, Ayame. So, make it two Miso Ramen." Minato added.

The two chefs went inside the kitchen and started making the food. After a few minutes, Ayame came out with two steaming hot bowls of ramen and kept it in front of Minato and Naruto. Naruto inhaled the delicious aroma of the food and started gulping it down and finished it in a matter of few seconds. Minato who was watching him eat sweat dropped at how quickly his son finished it. 'He definitely got his ramen addiction and table manners from Kushina'. Minato thought. Minato too finished his bowl in the next few minutes and the pair left the store back to their house after bidding the two chefs goodnight for the night.

* * *

Itachi Uchiha. A nine-year black haired boy and the eldest son of the current Uchiha Clan Head. Regarded as the genius of the Uchiha Clan, he graduated from the Shinobi Academy of the village within a year at top of his class. But one of the main things that made the boy so special was the fact that he had awakened the sharingan at the mere age of seven. Many from the Uchiha Clan as well as the village had great expectations from the boy.

Even though Itachi was subjugated to so much praise from everyone, he never let any of it get to his head. He was among very few humble shinobi within the clan. He was kind and gentle. Something which a small part of the Uchiha Clan members disliked but did not say anything for he was the son of the Clan Head.

He became a genin at the age of 7 and soon enough the next year he was promoted to chunin during the chunin exams held in Kumogakure No Sato.

He was returning from his border patrol duty when he saw the Hokage and his son walking back towards their home. Seeing as he was going back home too, he decided to walk with them. He jumped down from the tree he was standing on and started to make his way towards them when he saw Naruto stop suddenly and look at his direction. His eyes widened at bit at that.

As Minato and Naruto were walking back home, Minato saw Naruto abruptly stop and look behind him. Minato confused for a while was about to speak when he a felt a presence approach them. Soon enough, he saw Itachi walking towards them in his shinobi gear.

Minato looked at his son with surprising eyes. 'A sensor? His sensing ability has to be extremely great to able to sense Itachi'.

Minato then looked at Itachi and said, "Itachi, coming back from the border patrol I presume?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. I was relieved from my duty by Shishui." Itachi replied politely. He then looked at Naruto with his ever so calm and stoic face as he thought about the incident a few minutes ago.

"This is my son, Naruto Namikaze. I believe you have met him before, have you not?" Minato asked as he saw Itachi staring at Naruto.

Itachi looked at Minato and nodded, "I have seen him a few times walking around the village by himself. But not that often. Although my mother did tell me a lot about Naruto-kun"

Even though Itachi and Sasuke have both visited the Namikaze estate along with their parents on many occasions, Naruto often stayed inside his room reading books on various shinobi lands and the history of ninjutsu. So, it was only Mikoto who went up to Naruto's room to have a talk with him while Fugaku and his sons sat downstairs in the living room with Minato.

"Hokage-sama? What is Naruto-kun's age?" Itachi asked.

Minato raised an eyebrow upon hearing the question, but had a suspicion as to what it was about. "He's four years and a month now."

Naruto, who was standing beside his father, just kept quiet all this time and stared at the boy who was talking to his tou-chan. He knew who Itachi was as he had seen him at his house on many occasions and has heard several shinobi talking about the Uchiha prodigy.

Itachi's eyes again widened upon hearing that. 'To have such great sensing abilities at such a young age. I know my chakra was kept suppressed'. Minato saw Itachi's shocked look for a second and knew what he was thinking.

"He's quite special Hokage-sama. It's already surprising to see a four year old boy to have unlocked his chakra." Itachi said as he saw Naruto smile at his comment.

Minato nodded as he glanced at his son from where he was standing. "How is little Sasuke doing, Itachi?"

"He's doing well Hokage-sama. In fact, he will be starting his ninja training soon." He looked at Naruto for a second and turned his gaze back to Minato and thought over a matter. "Maybe I should bring Sasuke to meet with Naruto-kun over at your place someday later? They could become good friends with each other and could possibly develop a friendly rivalry." Itachi said.

Minato knew Naruto did not have many friends his age. He would often take him to the park, but most he did was talk a few lines with other children. He asked him the reason on many occasions but all he got for a reply was, "I don't know, tou-chan. They all just look at me like I'm different." It made him sad knowing how is son was treated in the village by the civilians and shinobis who lost their families on that night. But there was very little he could do to make an entire village get over the grief and loss they faced four years ago. Thus, his face formed a smile upon hearing the prospect of Naruto meeting someone his age and befriending him.

"Will he also look at me differently like the other people?" It was Naruto who spoke. Both Itachi and Minato could note the tiny glimpse of sadness in his voice.

Surprisingly, Itachi bent down to Naruto's eye level and grasped his shoulders firmly with both his hands and said, "No, Naruto-kun. Sasuke wouldn't look at you that way. Also, it shouldn't matter what others think of you. They don't know you personally and you don't know them personally. You are special Naruto-kun. You have a power within you, which others don't. People don't understand what they don't know and tend to fear it. So, do not make that face."

Naruto was a bit surprised on hearing that. He looked at his father and saw him smile. He turned to Itachi with a small smile and said, "Thank you Itachi-san!"

Itachi got up from his position and looked up at the sky to see the moon's position. "It's getting quite late Hokage-sama. I should probably leave now. Apologizes to keep you occupied for so long" He said.

"It's no problem Itachi. Tell Fugaku and Mikoto to come to our house sometime too." Minato said. Naruto felt happy that he would get to meet Mikoto again. He remembered how the nice lady used to come and talk to him. Many of the books which he has now, were gifted to him by his Ānī (aunty).

"Of course Hokage-sama." Itachi then looked at Naruto and said, "It was good meeting you Naruto-kun. I will come along with Sasuke sometime later to meet with you again." He bowed to Minato once and disappeared in a swirl of leaves to his home.

"That was such a cool technique! Tou-chan do you think you can teach me that?" Naruto asked excitedly. Minato smiled seeing his son's reaction and just settled for nodding. He took Naruto's hand in his own and they walked back towards the Namikaze Compound

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

 **Translated Terms**

 _ **Ānī- Aunty-Honorific**_

 _ **Bijuu- Tailed Beast-Creature/Title**_

 _ **Daimyo- Feudal Lord/s-Title**_

 _ **Doujutsu- Visual Jutsu-Technique**_

 _ **Gamma Sennin- Toad Sage-Title**_

 _ **Hitai-tae- Headband/Forehead Protector-Equipment**_

 _ **Jii-chan/Jii-san/Sofu- Grandfather-Honorific**_

 _ **Kage Bunshin- Shadow Clone-Technique**_

 _ **Kinjutsu- Forbidden Technique-Technique**_

 _ **Konohagakure No Sato- Village Hidden in the Leaves-Place**_

 _ **Kumogakure No Sato- Village Hidden in the Clouds-Place**_

 _ **Kyubi No Yoko- Nine Tailed Fox-Creature**_

 _ **Ojii-chan/Ojii-San- Elderly Man-Honorific**_

 _ **Sandaime Hokage- Third Hokage-Title**_

 _ **Senjutsu- Sage Techniques-Technique**_

 _ **Sharingan No Kakashi- Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye-Title**_

 _ **Shodaime/Shodai Hokage- First Hokage-Title**_

 _ **Tou-chan/Tou-San- Father-Honorific**_

 _ **Uzushiogakure No Sato- Village Hidden by Whirling Tides/ Hidden Eddy Village-**_ _ **Place**_

 _ **Yondaime Hokage- Fourth Hokage-Title**_

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter!**

 **Next chapter for this story will be out on January 19, 2017. After that, it will be updated every ten days. My other story, 'Advent of Mokuzai' will be also be updated regularly every 7 to 8 days. As, I said at the end of chapter 6 of Advent of Mokuzai, chapter 7 for that will be out on January 15, 2017.**

 **As of this moment, 'Advent of Mokuzai' and 'Naruto: Uchiha No Densetsu' are the only stories I will be working on. So, until I finish both of them or either one, I won't start a third one. Just to make sure, I don't get cooped up with too much work.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes- Hello Fellow Readers! I apologize for the slight delay in updating this chapter. But other things have been keeping me busy quite lately. Also, this is my first time writing a Naruto FanFiction with him being portrayed as an Uchiha. So, I would request you all to be patient. You won't be disappointed with the story's plot.**

 **The story will feature Naruto's power to be godlike. When I say godlike, I don't mean using over a thousand jutsus or learning every single technique there is. The way Naruto will feel about chakra or the way he will use it will be different compared to others. He will use chakra the way it was supposed to be used. The way of Ninshu. _Ninjutsu_ is a variation created by the human race as a means for their power in their idiotic wars. Ninshu was meant to connect people. Make people understand each other. Heal people. However, Naruto having power does not mean he can just win all his fights in a second. What Naruto will have since birth is power that can be compared to gods. Not the knowledge to use that power. **

**So, this chapter sets up the base for the events that I have planned in chapter 3. Some of the events that I had planned in chapter 2, will come up in chapter 3. I don't want to rush the story too quickly.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Her Savior**

* * *

 _Ninjutsu. An abomination created by the humans to wage wars. That was not what he had taught when he was alive. That was not the intended purpose. He sought to bring peace. He sought to connect people through chakra. Hence, he shared his unique chakra with others in the hope that human kind could better understand each other. Alas, humans are such fickle beings._

 _His own son, Indra, had disregarded everything his teachings stood for. Everything he sought to protect. After he died, he had hoped his younger son, Ashura, could convince his brother to leave the path of darkness. That however, could not be possible in their current life. He knew how powerful his two son's chakra was. It could be considered near omnipotent, yet, nowhere near his own. He saw his two-son's chakra transmigrate in two other shinobi generations later. Yet again, he hoped these two could resolve the feud his two sons had begun. However, again. he was proved wrong._

 _He knew he shouldn't have cast his attention away from Indra. But Ashura reminded him so much of himself. His younger son's ideals were exactly like his. To bring peace through love. While Indra too wanted the same thing, but differently. He wanted to dominate. This world did not need another person like his mother. So, he decided to give his son the power which he knew Ashura would use for the better. That was his first mistake. Unconsciously embracing one while neglecting the other._

 _He knew his sons' chakra would not rest until the feud was resolved and hence knew they would again transmigrate. Years later he again felt it. Ashura and Indra's chakra transmigrating. But he was surprised when they chose one vessel. He did not know the name of the human who they chose. However, he could feel this child was the descendant of both Indra and Ashura. He could only see foggy images. Blonde hair, blue eyes and his eyes widened slightly. 'Could he be?' He asked himself. The prophecy his friend spoke to him about. He smiled, knowing his friend couldn't be wrong. This time he knew what he had to do. He would not cast his attention away from Indra. They were both his sons. He loved them both equally. It pained him to see the generations long fight between them and it pained him to see the world so angry and so helpless. It pained him at how his other nine children were treated by the humans. However, he could not bring himself to hate them. Humans fear what they do not understand. He would give the world someone to put their trust in again. He would give the child what is rightfully his._

 _And so, when the child was born, he brought forth his shakujo and effectively gave the blonde boy his Yin and Yang chakra, which mixed with the boy's, forming chakra coils and essentially making it his own chakra. He smiled as he saw the sun mark on his tiny right hand and the half crescent moon mark on his left hand pulsate for a second and vanish, set for the child to be seen when he reaches deep within his soul._

 _He heard his eldest child, Kurama, scream in agony when his Yin chakra was ripped from him and his Yang half sealed inside the blonde infant. He couldn't let his eldest go down a path filled with hatred. He reached Kurama within the boy's mindscape and immediately calmed him down with one touch of his hand. He knew he didn't have much time in the realm of mortals. And before he disappeared from this realm, he told his eldest his last words, "Help him Kurama. This child will be different. He is destined for greatness, the likes of which have never been seen. Guide him along the right path. Save him in his dark times and stand alongside him in his brighter ones. The child of prophecy has taken birth."_

 _Kurama smiled hearing his father's words. "So, the time has come Rikoudo-jiji. No harm shall come to this boy so long as I'm here in this world." The fox said with conviction present in its voice._

 _Hagoromo knew this time, the world would change. This time, the world will have her savior. Humanity will have its savior. He could rest now and watch the blonde boy's story unfold._

* * *

 _ **Next day, Namikaze Compound, Konohagakure No Sato**_

He could feel it.

He could feel everything around him and it was mesmerizing.

Naruto sat at the back gardens of his compound in a lotus position and was meditating. His face a picture of perfect calmness. His tou-chan told him this morning that meditation was necessary for a shinobi. It helped one keep calm and their head clear of stray thoughts. Especially, it made one aware of their surroundings.

So, it's been around an hour that Naruto's been sitting in a lotus position. The village had a calm breeze blowing through it. Naruto's jaw length bangs flowed with the breeze calmly. Naruto himself felt at extreme peace. He could feel his surroundings. He could feel the people's emotions. He understood them. It made him happy how peaceful the village was.

He could feel chakra. The chakra flowing in the world. In the trees. In the air. In the animals. In the lake in his garden.

'It's everywhere!' he thought giddy with excitement.

He never felt so wonderful before. It felt so pure. More so than his own chakra.

It felt so fresh. It was filled with life energy. He wanted to feel it. So, he reached out for it and let it enter his body.

He immediately felt refreshed and was in sync with the world. He smiled. He couldn't describe the feeling. It was omnipotent. His senses were even more heightened now.

Unknown to Naruto, his entire body was covered in chakra. A brilliant shade of purple. He was radiating so much life energy around him. The flowers were blooming. The grass and trees were growing at a rapid pace. The birds were chirping. The squirrels were now surrounding nearby him. It was a picturesque sight. In one word, it was aesthetic.

His chakra was so warm and welcoming that it was felt by everyone. Naruto's chakra covered the entire village in a thin blanket of calmness. It felt as bright as the sun. Every civilian and shinobi alike felt it and immediately stopped what they were doing. They did not know what it was but they could feel it was powerful and commanding. Yet, instead of making them fall on their knees, it made them feel rejuvenated. It was touching every part of their body, every cell in it and they could feel how incredible it was.

Minato and Kakashi, who were there inside the Hokage's office, felt it too. Both knew the chakra signature and grew slightly worried as to why he was releasing such copious amounts of chakra. Minato immediately held Kakashi and disappeared to the Namikaze Compound in a yellow flash.

Minato and Kakashi quickly made their way towards the gardens and when they reached, their eyes widened at the sight in front of them.

Naruto was creating nature.

Minato activated his sharingan and Kakashi pulled his headband up to see what exactly it was that Naruto was doing.

"Se… Sen… Sensei. Naruto… he's pulling chakra from the nature around him. Isn't that…?" Kakashi said while not being able to comprehend whether what he was seeing was true or not.

Minato was in no different position. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His son, only four years old, was doing something neither Jiraiya nor he could master completely, even after years of training.

" **Senjutsu** … Yes, Kakashi. Naruto is using senjutsu." Minato said in a whisper.

Naruto who was yet to move from his position had felt his father and Kakashi the moment they had arrived here. He decided to test something out which was there in his mind. He willed a part of his chakra around him to form into a hand and waved at the two shinobi present.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and the intake of chakra from the nature into his body stopped. The chakra swirling around his body, too, receded back. He looked at his tou-chan and his nii-chan and saw their incredulous faces. He gave them a questioning look, signifying them that he had idea what he did just now.

Minato glanced towards Kakashi once and both the Hokage and the ANBU Captain moved towards the four year old child.

"Naru? What were you doing just now?" Minato asked in a kind voice. Kakashi stood beside his sensei and gave his brother like figure one of his eye smiles and a wave of his hands.

"Oh that! I was feeling chakra tou-chan! It felt so amazing. I could feel chakra everywhere. It felt like a never-ending thing. I could also feel everyone in the village. Even you and Kakashi nii-chan! It's like I knew where everyone was. What their emotions were." Naruto said in an excited voice while the two shinobi just listened with dumbfounded expressions.

Naruto folded his hands over his chest and seemed to think over something for a while and gave a wide smile. "I know! I felt like I could communicate with nature. Yes, that's it! Isn't that cool tou-chan? Kakashi nii-chan?"

In all their experiences, they had never come across anything such as this. Had someone told them that a four year old child could use **senjutsu** effortlessly, they would have just laughed at them. However, witnessing Naruto do it right in front of them, they found the words stuck in their mouth. It should be inconceivable, yet the proof was right in front of their eyes.

Minato soon got out of his stupor and bent to Naruto's eye level. "Yes, that is indeed amazing Naru. But do you have an idea as to how you did it just now?"

"Well, I was just meditating as you told me in the morning and then I could just feel the chakra around myself. It felt so pure and different than my own that I felt inclined to touch it. Then, I just let it enter my body." Naruto said with a wide smile.

'You really have no idea what you just did Naru/Naruto'. Both Minato and Kakashi thought.

"Naruto, what you were doing right now was using **senjutsu**. The chakra present in the nature or in general the chakra present in the atmosphere of the world is called nature chakra or **senjutsu** chakra. Not everyone can do this Naruto. It's a very difficult aspect to master. Jiraiya-sama and Minato-sensei are the only one that I know of who can do it. And I'm sure, even they took some time to grasp **senjutsu**." Kakashi spoke seriously.

Naruto's eyes widened greatly understanding the implications of Kakashi's words and couldn't help but smile. He didn't boast himself for doing something incredible. Instead, he was merely glad, he had something more in common with his tou-chan and Jiraiya oji-chan.

Meanwhile, Minato looked at his son with nothing but pride in his eyes. He remembered the prophecy his sensei once told him about a blue eyed boy who would change the world for the better and somehow he knew, it was his Naru. After what he witnessed his son do today, he had to be and he was going to make sure he would stay by his son's side through it all.

The Yondaime got up from his crouched position and motioned for Naruto to get up too.

"Come on Naruto, let's get back inside the house. You could go to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch. You must be hungry after what you did just now." Minato said as Naruto, Kakashi and he made their way inside the house.

"Uh-Huh!" Naruto said nodding his head vigorously.

The moment the three reached inside the house, Naruto said goodbye to his father and Kakashi and ran to Ichiraku Ramen stand to have his favorite meal. Minato and Kakashi couldn't help but laugh a bit at his enthusiasm towards eating ramen.

Unknown to all three of them as of now, Naruto's hand had pulsed softly earlier, engraving two images on his hands that would change the future drastically.

 _The sun mark on his right hand and the half crescent moon mark on his left hand._

"Sensei?" Kakashi asked, gaining Minato's attention.

Seeing the look on his student's face, he understood what he was meaning to ask.

"I know Kakashi. His chakra was felt by everyone within the village. No doubt there's going to be a council meeting regarding this soon." He said. His voice showed that he was not too happy about it.

"What are you going to do sensei? Are you going to tell them the truth? We should also inform Jiraiya-sama about this as soon as possible." Kakashi said.

"I don't know yet Kakashi. I should discuss matters with Jiraiya-sensei and the toad summons first before I reach any conclusion. Naruto's innate ability to use **Senjutsu** baffles even me. I have never seen anything like this before." Minato said as he exhaled a deep sigh. This was a serious matter. One that could have untold implications on the elemental nations.

Kakashi nodded, deciding not to say anything more. Both shinobi exited the Namikaze Compound and went back to the Hokage Tower.

Minato to do his accursed paperwork, and Kakashi to read and giggle over his perverted little orange book.

* * *

 _ **Two Months Later**_

Jiraiya had arrived within the village in the next two days to meet with the two Namikaze as soon as he had received a message from one of his toad summons regarding Naruto's ability to use **senjutsu**. Minato had written a detailed message to the _Gamma Sennin_ about what he had felt and what he had seen Naruto do. To say Jiraiya was shocked would be an understatement. When he had witnessed, his godson utilizing **senjutsu** chakra, he just couldn't believe his eyes. It shouldn't be possible. Yet, he knew his eyes and his years of training in **senjutsu** was not deceiving him.

However, instead of denying what was right in front of his eyes, it just made his belief stronger that his godson was the _one._

The sun and half crescent moon mark on Naruto's hands were noticed by both Minato and Jiraiya when they got down to teaching him the intricacies of **senjutsu**. Naruto himself did not know what these marks represented but he could feel that the sun represented his brighter chakra whereas the moon represented his darker one. Upon hearing that, Minato theorized, Naruto's Yang chakra was represented by the sun and his Yin chakra was represented by the half crescent moon. It was surprising for the two Kage level shinobi as to why it was that Naruto had those marks. Every person has chakra, even civilians and chakra is made of two halves, that is yin and yang. They balance each other always. So, for Naruto to manifest his Yin and Yang chakra in such a way made them believe that his chakra was somehow special compared to rest of the humans.

Soon after that, Naruto was introduced to the toad summons. He was extremely excited that he would get to use the same summons like his tou-chan and Jiraiya oji-chan. For a few days, a week, Naruto would usually spend time either with his father or the toads at Mount Myoboku to further delve into the complicities of **senjutsu**. Jiraiya, being a spy master, rarely spent a lot of time in village. His information gathering was important for the village.

While training Naruto, it was also noted that, the blond had exceptional control over his chakra. When he was given the tree walking exercise, it took Naruto merely about half an hour to get it done. With the water walking exercise, it took the blonde slightly longer but he had completed it in record time, stunning the Yondaime and the Sharingan No Kakashi. Later, he was introduced to more advanced chakra control exercises, such as kunai balancing, separating different colors of sand particles from a mixture in less than ten seconds and they were left astonished since Naruto completed those exercises in not even less than two days.

Tsunade Senju, daughter of Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki and one of the Densetsu No Sannin is hailed as the greatest medical ninja of this era. Her chakra control is something which can only be aspired and dreamt of by others. Yet, Naruto, a four year old boy, had such great control over his chakra it was deemed to be on par with Tsunade. And as Naruto grows up, it would only get better.

Naruto was literally a sponge. Everything that was taught to him, he soaked it up immediately. It was astonishing and slightly scary, the rate at which he was picking up things which should not be possible.

In the past two months, Naruto had already mastered several of the lower level jutsu that was taught to him. Some of them being **Henge** (Transformation), **Kawirami** (Substitution), **Sunshin No Jutsu** (Teleportation Jutsu) and a variation of the **Bunshin No Jutsu** (Clone Jutsu) called **Kage Bunshin No Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Jutsu). The **Kage Bunshin No Jutsu** was a Kinjutsu which was created by the Nidaime Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato. This jutsu divides the caster's chakra in the number of clones the caster wishes to create. While it was not an issue for Naruto to make a normal **bunshin** , he was mainly taught the jutsu as it had more practical uses on the battle field as well as while training. Seeing as how Naruto had exceptional chakra control, he was also introduced to few beginner medical ninjutsu, such as **Shoshen Jutsu** (Mystical Palm Technique).

Kakashi and Minato were hailed as the greatest prodigies ever of their time. Seeing Naruto train often, left them wondering how much of a prodigy they were. Their latent talent was nothing compared to the little boy. Naruto was on his way to become a shinobi the likes of which were never seen in history. Seeing Naruto's growth rate and his talent, Kakashi had suggested Minato to put Naruto in ANBU to better utilize his skills. That was a mistake. Minato had outright disregarded the idea. He reasoned his son may be different from the other children his age, but he deserved to have a normal childhood for as long as possible. Minato was not going to throw his only son in a world of bloodshed so early in his life.

* * *

It was a warm sunny day in Konohagakure No Sato. It was around one in the afternoon and the market streets of the village were bustling with activity. There were people going in and out of shops. Either purchasing materials for themselves or pawning their personal items for some money. The shinobi were jumping over the rooftops, either going to complete their missions or towards the Hokage Tower to receive more missions.

Naruto had just finished having some food at the ramen stand after his morning workout and was heading towards one of the secluded area within the forests for some more training.

Minato and Kakashi had told Naruto that he had to get his physique in shape for the taijutsu katas that he was learning from the scroll given to him by his tou-chan. The scroll contained the Interceptor Fist, the taijutsu style used by Madara Uchiha. It relied on fast reflexes and studying the opponent's movements first and reacting to them in a quick span of time. While for most Uchiha, their sharingan is an integral part in their taijutsu moves, Naruto is taught to consider the sharingan as merely an accessory tool. The sharingan is only supposed to decipher the subtle movements and give an edge in hand to hand combat. But if one can do that without the use of the sharingan, it gives one much greater reflexes while using it.

Every morning, Naruto would wake up and do 15 laps around the Namikaze Compound. From there he moved to 50 pushups, 100 sit ups, 50 pull ups and end it with a hundred punches and kicks on a training dummy placed in the training grounds inside his compound. Every week he would add 5 laps more and 50 more to each of the exercise. He had gotten the inspiration from Kakashi when he told Naruto that he used to do similar exercises when he began his ninja training, which was around the same time as the blonde boy.

So currently, Naruto was walking towards the forested area behind one of the playgrounds near the Hokage Tower when he heard a girl crying.

 _ **Few Minutes Earlier**_

Sakura Haruno, a four year old girl was an aspiring ninja. Both her parents were veteran shinobi who could not pursue their shinobi career after the Third Great Ninja War. Her father, Kizashi Haruno, was an above average shinobi who was extremely adept in using genjutsu while her mother, Mebuki Haruno, was a medical ninja. Ever since she had known, she loved to read books. She often went to the Konoha Library and borrowed books regarding basic medical knowledge, shinobi life and the history of elemental nations from the civilian sections. Being more of a book nerd, Sakura had yet to start any physical training.

Today, she was returning from library after borrowing books which spoke about the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage, Tsunade Senju and how she brought about a revolutionary change in the field of medicine. It was a warm afternoon today, so she decided to take a longer route and go through the park near the Hokage Monument.

As she was walking back to her home, she didn't realize that there were several boys few years older than her who were looking at her funny and making fun of her huge forehead and bright pink hair. One of the boys went behind her back and pushed her down. Sakura screamed lightly as she fell quite uncharacteristically. The book she was holding lay beside her and her hair had become a mess.

"Look at your huge forehead! It's bigger than your head! Haha! What a weird girl!" said the boy who had pushed her down as he laughed. The two other boys who were there with him joined him and also started laughing at the pink haired girl.

Even though Sakura was quite self-conscious about her forehead, she tried not to let it get to her when someone made fun of her. So just like most of the time, she ignored the bullies and went to reach for her book which was lying beside her. Just when she was about to reach it, the second boy snatched it and read the title out loud.

"General Medical Knowledge- Tsunade Senju". Read the boy out loud.

"G…Give me my book back". Whimpered Sakura under the fierce gaze of the boys in front of her

He then looked at her as if she was a freak and mocked her by saying, "So, you want to become a ninja? How would you ever become one with such big forehead and that ugly pink hair? I mean, who even has pink hair? It's just plain weird" He smirked when he saw her eyes became a bit wet and started crying slowly. He threw the book at her which hit her arm.

Sakura, who was down on the ground, picked up her book slowly only wished someone came to help her.

 _She just didn't know how close her help was._

 _ **With Naruto**_

He moved closer towards the sound and saw a small girl around his age with hair a bright color of pink and holding a green colored book in her hands. He noticed she had an above average size forehead, but found it cute for some reason. Then he scowled a bit seeing as there were three boys obviously elder than her and they bullying her.

He immediately rushed towards the girl and stood in front defiantly. The three boys were a bit surprised at seeing the blonde. They didn't even see him come.

"Oy! What do you think you're doing? Move away from her" Naruto said a bit coldly. Sakura looked at the boy who stood before her and her eyes widened.

The boys flinched a bit hearing his voice but didn't move however. The boy who had pushed Sakura down stepped forward and said, "Who do you think you are? You can't just boss us around! Look at that freak anyway. Ugly hair and forehead!"

For reasons unknown to Naruto, he felt angry hearing the boy call her freak. He remembered how he felt when the villagers often whispered demon, monster, traitor and words such as that when he walked around the village. He didn't want anyone else to feel like that. Through his **Negative Emotion Sensing** , he understood how the girl felt. Scared. Weak. And it made the blonde furious.

He brought his index and middle finger of his right hand joined together before his face and willed four **Kage Bunshin** into existence. Naruto could feel the shock in the three boys' minds and how afraid they felt as of now. He smiled inwardly when he felt the girl feeling hopeful.

Sakura could only watch in wonder as the blonde boy before her, who was most likely the same age as her, perform ninjutsu so easily.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze. Now leave, before I make you." He said in a commanding voice.

Sakura's and the three boys' eyes widened learning that the blonde was the Yondaime Hokage's son. The boys took a few steps back in fear, immediately turned back and ran as fast as they could from the blonde and the girl. Naruto felt proud that he could scare away the bullies from the innocent girl.

Remembering about the girl, he turned around to see the girl staring at her in amazement and admiration. Naruto saw the book the girl was carrying on the ground and picked it up. He dusted it off and handed the book back to the girl who gave him a small smile. He saw how her cheeks were slightly red, but thought that she must be feeling quite hot.

"Are you okay?" asked Naruto in a kind voice.

"H… Hai!" Sakura said, blushing at bit.

"You know medical ninjutsu is pretty cool! I'm learning a bit myself with my tou-chan's help!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura knew not many children her age found interest in medical field, so it was surprising for her to hear Naruto say that.

Realizing that he didn't know her name yet, he asked her, "well… what is your name?"

Sakura looked at his face and how his blonde hair fell over his forehead and covered his right eye. Sakura broke out of her gaze realizing that she was staring at him. "Sakura Haruno!" the girl replied hastily. She felt her cheeks turn a bit red and immediately ran back to her house.

Naruto was extremely confused at the girl's attitude. He could feel the girl didn't have any feelings of detestation or fearfulness towards him and ran away because she was feeling extremely shy. He just shrugged his shoulders and decided to go back home instead of more training.

* * *

 _ **One Year later**_

Naruto stood in a clearing deep within the forests of Konohagakure No Sato, on the west side of the village. It was early afternoon and no was around currently. Naruto stared at a tall thick tree he had picked. 'From what I remember thinking earlier, I must transfer considerable amount of chakra in my fist and hold it there.'

Naruto took inhaled deeply and calmed his breathing, 'If I'm correct I can make my chakra take the form of a larger fist over my hand and then use it as a large-scale attack.'

Naruto brought his hand up perpendicular to his body and closed it forming a fist. He closed his eyes to concentrate. He then let the natural energy flowing in the world enter his body swiftly and started feeling the flow of his chakra in his body. He willed some of it to concentrate over his hand. He started visualizing what he wanted and suddenly large amounts of potent purple chakra started manifesting around Naruto's arms. The chakra took the shape of a large arm around Naruto's own small arm and he smiled.

For the past few hours, he had been thinking about a taijutsu technique that could be used as a large-scale attack. He had the idea in his mind but couldn't execute it properly.

He closed his hand into a fist and the chakra manifested arm too folded its hand to form a fist. Naruto pulled his arm back and thrust it forward in a quick pace. What happened next came as a surprise to him although it did make him smile at the result.

The moment the chakra arm contacted the tree, it broke into several pieces and some of it flew back several hundred yards and formed a narrow crater along the path of the flying tree.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with his free hand and thought, 'I might need to use less chakra next time I plan to use this.' He looked up at sky and saw that it was only afternoon. He decided to just lay down with his eyes closed and rest for a while after so much thinking and training.

A few hours later, a black haired boy sat on the branches of a high tree. His hair was wild and spiky and wore high collared black shirt. His eyes were looking at the resting form of one Naruto Namikaze. His black onyx eyes then scanned the area around the blond carefully to search for anything out of place.

He looked up to the sky for a few seconds, 'It will be sunset soon…'

He had been ordered by the Hokage to keep an eye on his son for the entire coming week. This was due to several Iwagakure shinobi still lurking around the borders of the Land of Fire. It was dangerous for Naruto to be alone, especially near the borders of the village. Hence, the five year old blond was given a shinobi to guard him as a precaution, even though Naruto was capable enough of handling several high skilled shinobi on his own.

The Iwagakure Shinobi were another matter that surfaced in the past few months. Apparently, several missing ninjas from Iwagakure were spotted on the borders between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire. A few of them were killed by the ANBU patrolling the borders as a sign of warning yet more kept invading the borders. Even though the shinobi were portraying themselves as missing ninjas, Minato was wary and skeptical of them. He wouldn't put it pass the stubborn Onohki to use underhanded tactics such as sending official Iwa shinobi disguised as missing ninjas to invade Konoha and at the same time have the pathetic excuse for deniability.

Minato and Iwagakure never got along well with each other. Before the start of the Third Shinobi World War, Iwa had tried kidnapping his wife Kushina for the sole purpose of the Kyubi. It enraged him that a village already having two bijuu with them would try to steal one from another. He had killed off the shinobi involved in the incident during that time and had shown Iwagakure not to take Konohagakure lightly at the end of the Third Shinobi War. It was the Third Ninja War that gave rise to the Yellow Flash of Konoha and the name still strikes fear in the shinobi of Iwagakure.

The shinobi guarding the blonde looked back at Naruto eventually after his gaze left the evening sky. 'Let's see if the Yondaime's legacy is as good as I was told.'

He took out two kunai from within his pouch and held them between his left hand's fingers. He looked towards Naruto once again and threw the kunai straight at him.

When the two kunai smashed into the blonde boy resting on the ground, his eyes widened at the unexpected results.

The Naruto that was lying on the ground disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Suddenly, he felt cold metal touch the base of his neck. Naruto, who was now standing behind the surprised shinobi, with the tip of his kunai touching his neck asked in a serious tone.

"Who are you shinobi-san?"

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

 **Translated Terms**

 _ **Shakujo- A monk staff**_

 _ **Rikudou Sennin- Sage of Six Paths**_

 _ **Iwagakure No Sato- The Village Hidden in the Rocks**_

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter!**

 **Next chapter will come either on February 2 or February 3, 2017. I will be traveling for about 9 or 10 days. The next chapter will definitely be long as it's going to have many events in it. If not that, the events that are there will be explained in more detail for some parts of the story in the future.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story to let me know what you think about it. Your opinions will be of great help.**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! Been almost a month since I updated this story. I had been really caught up in university assignments and exams. So, I did not get much time to for it. But, now there will be a regular update.**

 **Some of the reviews did ask me to pair Naruto with both Sakura and Hinata. Unfortunately, for the plot I have planned in my mind, that won't be possible. However, Naruto will have a major influence in Sakura's life. I mainly prefer Hinata a lot more for Naruto because of her kind and yet strong willed nature. Sakura on the other hand is more a free spirit and ferocious in nature. I find Hinata to be more calm, collective and conservative who will be a perfect match for Naruto when he starts to ascend to darkness. This chapter I have shown his love for the village and his loved ones. His love for those he cares and the village is far too great. And his hatred will be even more terrifying when he loses someone close to him. I have some major twists planned later on. So, this chapter acts a foundation for various events happening later on in the story.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 ** _Anyway let the story continue_**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Genius of Ninjutsu**

* * *

 _Previously_

 _The Naruto that was lying on the ground disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Suddenly, he felt cold metal touch the base of his neck. Naruto, who was now standing behind the surprised shinobi with the tip of his kunai touching his neck, asked in a serious tone._

" _Who are you, shinobi-san?"_

 _Present_

'A **Kage Bunshin?** ' Shishui thought, amazed.

'So, Itachi wasn't kidding about his sensing abilities. He must have known I was here from the start. The kid's probably better than many of the veteran sensor shinobi.'

Naruto could feel how surprised the shinobi was and couldn't blame him. It's not every day you see a five year old evade an attack with such ease. Although Naruto knew the shinobi in front of him had no ill intentions, he wished to know why it was he was attacked. He saw the raven-haired boy turn his head slightly back and saw him …smirk?

Naruto was confused as to why the shinobi would be smirking and within a span of less than a second, Shisui was now standing down on the ground, arms folded over his chest and looking at Naruto with a playful smirk.

"You're indeed good Naruto-kun. I can see why Itachi speaks so highly of you." Shisui said with a smile.

Now Naruto was surprised. He had never seen anyone perform a **Sunshin** so effectively and at such an incredible speed. He thought he had the raven-haired boy cornered. Now he knew how wrong he was.

As Naruto stood on the branch of the tree, he looked at the boy. He had short, unkempt, raven-colored hair, black eyes and a relatively broad nose and well-defined eyelashes that were turned upwards at each end. He wore the standard attire of the Uchiha clan which included a high-collared, dark-colored outfit along with a tantō strapped to the right side of the back of his shoulder. He also wore what appeared to be a harness for his tantō which ran across his chest and fastened over both his shoulders.

"Are you Shisui Uchiha?" Naruto asked as he too sunshined in front of the boy.

"Oh? You know of me?" He was amused that someone as young as Naruto knew of him, despite him being Hokage's son.

"Hai! Itachi told me about you." Naruto gave a small smile as he remembered hearing about the _Sunshin no Shisui_ from his brother like figure.

Shisui nodded as he sat down on the ground. He looked at little boy and patted the area next to him. Knowing what he was being asked, Naruto went and sat next to Shisui.

Shisui once again stared at the boy. Earlier when Itachi told him about Naruto's natural aptitude in the shinobi arts, he was slightly reluctant to believe about the boy's prodigal talents, even if he has the blood of Hokage level shinobi running through his veins. The kid's only five he had thought. But seeing how he evaded his attack a few minutes ago with a well thought out plan and even surprising him with his moves later, he couldn't help but be amazed. The way the blond talked and seemed to keep his guard up spoke volumes of how far ahead he was compared to the rest of his generation. Thinking of that brought a small frown on his face.

"Gomen, Naruto-kun." He said in a whisper, but loud enough for the blond to hear.

Naruto saw the sad smile Shisui put on his face. But he saw something else too. It was the same smile he saw on his tou-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan and Kakashi nii-san at times. It's as if they were apologizing to him for something out of their reach. He never understood it. Why would they look at him like that? Was it because of the overwhelming amount of chakra that was inside of him that felt much different than his own? He had a vague idea as to who it belonged to, but he never thought much about it. He believed his tou-chan would tell him once the time was right.

Naruto turned his head away from him and laid on the grass on his back. He could see the moon and how majestic the sky looked around it. Slightly red with a tint of orange in it. Although, his gaze lingered on the moon a bit longer. He didn't understand why, but he always felt a connection to the moon.

"Why would you say that and look at me that way?" Naruto finally asked after a bit of silence.

Shisui too looked back towards the sky. He shifted slightly back with his elbows behind him on ground.

"You're different from other kids Naruto. Kid's your age normally play outside, laugh from time to time and run around. Meanwhile, you train in the shinobi arts. You keep your guard up all the time. The way you think is far too astute." He explained. He looked back at Naruto with a soft smile on his face and put his hand on the little boy's head.

"I'm sorry Naruto, that even during these times, you can't live like other kids your age. This shinobi world has a lot of darkness in it. But where there's darkness, there's always light. I'm sure you know of it, don't you?" Shisui saw the slight confusion on Naruto's face and chuckled a bit. He ruffled his hair, earning a pout from the little five year old and got back on his feet.

"What did you mean by that Shisui-san?" Naruto asked as he got up and stretched his arms to lose the slight stiffness in them.

"You will understand it someday Naruto-kun. It's not my place to tell you." Shisui said as he started to walk back towards the village.

"Are you going to come or not?" Naruto heard him say and quickly ran to his side.

"Hai!" Naruto replied.

As they were walking into the village, Naruto looked towards the older Uchiha and decided to voice his thoughts. "Why were you here anyway Shisui-san?"

"I was asked by Hokage-sama to watch over you in case you were attacked by any Iwagakure shinobi."

Naruto nodded in understanding. Jiraiya oji-chan had told him how Iwagakure disliked Konoha because of his tou-chan, Madara-sofu and Konoha's position as the strongest among all the Great Shinobi villages and that many of them were sighted near Konoha borders on numerous occasions.

As they walked through the village, Shisui saw how some of the civilians glared at the boy and some whispered things which were not meant for a boy his age to be heard. He looked towards Naruto and was surprised to see him not being affected by any of it.

"It's okay Shisui-san. I have been hearing them say such things ever since I could remember. It's not their fault. They fear what they don't understand." He said as a tired sigh escaped his lips and started walking at a faster pace towards his home. Shisui frowned at hearing that as he walked behind Naruto. He wanted to say something to him but decided to stay quiet.

It was around eight at night and the two were standing outside the Namikaze Compound.

"Will we meet again Shisui-san?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Shisui stared at the boy's eyes for a few seconds and smiled. "Of course. Also, if you want, we could train together at times."

Naruto nodded his head vigorously at the prospect of training with someone like him. Shisui smiled seeing Naruto act a bit his age. After he watched Naruto go inside the house, he sunshined to the Hokage's office to give his report to the Yondaime.

* * *

 _ **Later at night, Namikaze Compound**_

It was late at night, around ten-thirty and Minato had just arrived after a long and boring day of work in the Hokage's office. Sometimes he wondered if the previous Hokage ever felt what he was feeling right now.

 _Tired and exhausted_

Not physically, but mentally. The position of the Hokage is an extremely tiring job. Listening to the civilian's demands, taking care of the paperwork, ensuring the welfare of the village, keeping the trades between Konoha and her allies steady, ensuring the needs of the shinobi under his command, ensuring Konoha's safety…and more paperwork.

He was glad when Shisui came and reported that his son was home safely. With the increase in numbers of Iwa shinobi sightings near the borders of Land of Grass and Taki, he did not want to take a chance with Naruto's safety.

Unknown to many, Minato had lost a lot of people in his life. He saw his mother die in front of him when he was four by some Amegakure Shinobi. That was what led him to unlock his sharingan. His father left him alone in the village when he was five years old. Several of his friends were brutally slaughtered during the Third Great Shinobi War by Iwagakure and Kirigakure shinobi. Even up to this day, he feels like breaking down when he thinks of Kushina's death. It was painful for him watch her leave his side. She was his light in this dark world. His father often told him to look for that special person with whom you're most comfortable and hold on to them.

For him it was his son, Naruto, now. He loved Konoha dearly and would do anything to ensure her safety but he would always pick Naruto first. He knew he may be acting selfish, but he could not afford to lose another person close to him.

As Minato was walking towards his bedroom to get changed, he walked past the library and saw Naruto sitting on the small mat on his knees reading a book. His face showed how concentrated he was. He looked to his son's side and saw several more books stacked on top of each other. He smiled seeing Naruto so immersed in the books.

'His mind must be entirely focused in those books, I doubt he sensed that I'm here' Minato thought as he chuckled inwardly. Instead of going to his room, he decided to stay and see how long it would take his son to notice him.

However, what he saw, made him widen his eyes.

'Naruto…'

 _With Naruto_

After Shisui had left, Naruto had walked straight to the library. It wasn't a very decorated room, considering it was the Hokage's personal library.

The room consisted of three tall book shelves on three sides of the walls filled with different types of books. However most of the books were related to ninjutsu in general. There was a small cupboard near the door which consisted of fuinjutsu scrolls. There were two desks in the room. One which was slightly at the back and was normally used by Minato and another in the middle with a lantern to its side. It was slightly smaller than the one Minato used. There was a small mat next to the smaller desk which Naruto used. Even though there were lamps inside the room, Naruto preferred to use the lantern to study.

Hearing stories of how his grandfather studied during the era of Warring Clans, Naruto felt he should do something similar to his grandfather, in a way to feel closer to him. He was always enthralled when his tou-chan told him stories of his grandfather. Despite of what others said about the former Uchiha Clan Head, he believed him to be a good man.

Like any five year old, he too wanted to imitate the one he admired a lot.

Naruto had made a habit of reading books from a very young age. Whether it be about the history of Konohagakure, the history about the origins of ninjutsu or the books related to chakra theory, he loved reading them all. So, here he sat again with a book on his desk.

 _Elemental Chakra and Hand Signs,_ read the title of the book. He opened the book with a wide smile on his face and started to read the first page.

As he read the book, he learnt about the different types of chakra nature. Them being: **Katon** (Fire), **Futon** (Wind), **Suiton** (Water), **Doton** (Earth), **Raiton** (Lightning) and how each nature type is stronger than one and weaker than another.

He learnt about twelve hands signs that are used to infuse chakra inside one's body to use jutsus- _Tori_ (Bird, 酉), _I_ (Boar, 亥), _Inu_ (Dog, 戌), _Tatsu_ (Dragon, 辰), _Ushi_ (Ox, 丑), _Tora_ (Tiger, 寅), _Mi_ (Snake, 巳), _Ne_ (Rat, 子), _Uma_ (Horse, 午), _Saru_ (Monkey, 申), _U_ (Hare, 卯) and _Hitsuji_ (Ram, 未) and the applications of each hand sign when performing elemental ninjutsu.

The Tori hand sign is commonly associated with release of **Futon** chakra. The Inu hand sign commonly associated with release of **Suiton** natured chakra. The Tora hand sign commonly associated with release of **Katon** and **Doton** natured chakra and the release of **Raiton** natured chakra is commonly associated with the Mi hand sign. The Mi hand sign can also be associated with the usage of **Doton** natured chakra.

He briefly wondered who it was that invented hand signs and decided to ask his tou-chan later about it. He was so enthralled and focused on what he was reading he did not even notice the clock ticking or the fact that his tou-chan stood outside the door watching him read. Or that's how he made it seem like.

As Naruto finished reading the book, he had an idea in his mind he wanted to try out. He knew that his chakra control was extremely advanced, better than almost everyone in the village. Minato, Jiraiya and Kakashi probably the only ones who came close to him in that aspect. His tou-chan and Jiraiya oji-chan even went as far as to tell him it could only be matched by Tsunade Senju. For the past year, he was made to work on several different chakra control exercises to get him familiarized with them. Some of the medical ninja working in the hospital, who were close friends with Kushina, were quite fond of the little blond and even taught him the theories and practical applications of slightly advanced medical ninjutsu, seeing his advanced chakra control. Apart from those, he was made to focus on taijutsu and the handling of weapons such as shuriken and kunai. Although it took some time to get his aim correct in throwing the shuriken and kunai, Naruto could now throw them with pinpoint accuracy after a few months of practice.

Unknown to Minato, Naruto knew he was standing outside. Over the past year, his sensing abilities had increased dramatically. He could visualize the entirety of Konoha in his mind now if he wanted to. Knowing his tou-chan was watching him intently, he wanted to surprise him with what he had in his mind.

Naruto sat in a meditative position with his eyes closed. He calmed his breathing and inhaled and exhaled at an even pace, letting the stray thoughts exit his mind. This was one of the most effective way to get one's chakra to flow in a desired way inside one's body. He then put his hands in the seal for meditation. It is done by placing the back of the right hand on the palm of the left and the thumbs of both hands touching each other with both hands resting on the lap. He stayed in that position for a few minutes and allowed his chakra to calm down.

Naruto then slowly went through the hand signs- _Ne (rat), Ushi (ox), Tora (tiger)_ and opened his eyes along with opening the palm of his right hand. Suddenly a small fire ignited on top of his opened palm and a few seconds later Naruto willed it to stop.

Minato who was standing outside the door, widened his eyes upon seeing his son manipulate **katon** natured chakra.

'How far will you go, Naru?'

He stared at Naruto with nothing but pure amazement in his eyes. He couldn't believe someone so young could manipulate elemental chakra so easily. After a few seconds of that, he chuckled softly as he realized his son always manages to do the impossible and surprise him every single time.

"Tou-chan!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he walked towards his father.

"I see you have been busy, Naru." Minato said as he patted him on the head softly.

"Wasn't it cool tou-chan? I could manipulate fire. I remembered you telling me how most of the Uchiha were affiliated with **Katon** nature." Naruto paused for a while and thought out loud. "I wonder if I can perform other nature types." Naruto replied as he got into his thinking pose.

Minato laughed lightly watching his son.

"Why don't we find out about it tomorrow eh? It's getting late and you should sleep now. Remember what I told you, you have to rest your body properly as well as your mind."

"Hai! Hai! Tou-chan" Naruto said as he ran to his bedroom.

* * *

 _ **Next day, Namikaze Compound**_

Kakashi was lazily standing next to a tree in the training ground of the Namikaze Compound, giggling perversely while reading his orange book. Minato looked at his student and sighed for the umpteenth time. He never understood why his sensei wrote such smut and why people even read such a thing.

He looked in front of himself and saw his son standing after completing his morning routine of physical exercises and taijutsu katas. He was proud and incredibly amazed at the rate which Naruto was learning things. He moved his hands through his silky blonde hair once and looked up at the sky and thought. 'I wish you were here to see our son Kushina… You would be proud of him.'

"Kakashi, give me some chakra paper. It's time we get started with Naruto's elemental training. He has learned the basics of what I had to teach him to the best of his abilities." Minato said as he asked the former ANBU Captain to come near him.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. He was just told to come here early this morning, without any details of what he had to do from his sensei. He had helped Naruto at times with his training but he didn't think he would be ready for such advanced training so soon. He knew the blonde was a genius, one who probably comes around once in a generation. Even he wasn't that good when he was five. Nonetheless he nodded and walked towards Naruto and his sensei, taking out a piece of white paper and handing it out to him.

Minato saw the slight doubt come over Kakashi's lone visible eye and asked Naruto to perform the **Katon** chakra manipulation which he did last night.

Naruto too had felt the slight doubt in Kakashi's mind and nodded to his father.

He went through the same hand signs which he did the previous night.

 _Ne (rat), Ushi (ox), Tora (tiger)_ and opened the palm of his right hand, igniting a small fire on top of it. Kakashi's lone widened slightly as he stared at Naruto in surprise.

"Se… Sensei?" Kakashi asked in surprise. Naruto smiled, seeing his nii-san's stupefied expression.

"I know Kakashi. I was shocked too when I saw him do it last night. He was reading books on elemental chakra and hand signs. This is the reason why I believe he's ready to learn elemental manipulation. If he could do that, he could master the basic manipulation with ease."

"Hai, sensei" Kakashi said still not taking his eyes off Naruto. He felt stupid to doubt Naruto now. The things he has seen the kid do. It still amazes him and at times terrifies him.

Minato handed one sheet of paper to Naruto and kept one in his hand.

"Naru, you already know the different nature types of chakra, right?" Minato asked.

"Hai, tou-chan. There are five different types of chakra nature. Each being stronger and weaker than the other. They are **Katon** , **Suition** , **Raiton** , **Doton** and **Futon**. Apart from these five there's also **Yin** and **Yang** chakra. **Yin** chakra is the spiritual energy of a person and the **Yang** chakra is the physical energy of the person." Naruto explained briefly.

"That is correct Naru. Now, every person having chakra has either one or two chakra natures which are their primary natures. There are times, when one is born with three primary affinities also. While others must train in other chakra natures which is not their primary to be able to use them effectively. This chakra paper here helps one identify their primary chakra nature. When you apply chakra into the paper, the paper reacts to the chakra showing various results. If it's sliced down the middle, you have **Futon** nature; if it becomes damp, you have **Suiton** nature; if it crumbles, you have **Doton** nature; if it burns, you have **Katon** nature and if it wrinkles, you have **Raiton** nature. Did you understand me so far?" Minato said seriously.

Naruto nodded and Minato asked him to apply some chakra into the chakra paper. The results were quite astonishing.

As soon as Naruto applied some chakra into the paper, it sliced into four different pieces. The first slice burned to ashes immediately, the second one became extremely damp, the third one crumbled to pieces and the last one became wrinkled.

While Naruto calmly looked at the fallen pieces of paper, inwardly he was excited at the fact he could perform all the chakra nature types. Meanwhile, both Minato and Kakashi stared at the sight in front of them with dumbfounded expressions. It should be impossible. No human should have the innate talent to perform all five chakra nature transformations. Yet the proof was right in front of their eyes.

After a long silence, Kakashi cleared his throat to speak. "Well that was surprising Naruto." Minato just nodded his head. Naruto felt how surprised the both were.

"Tou-chan was that supposed to happen? You said maximum a person is born with the ability to use either two or three different chakra nature types." Naruto asked in confusion.

"Uhm… Well, that is normally the case Naru. I haven't seen anything like this before. I will have to ask Jiraiya-sensei about it." Minato said and paused a bit before thinking about something. "Whatever the case Naru, it's a good thing, isn't it? You have more potential to become stronger if you are well versed with all the chakra nature transformations." Minato finished with a smile.

Naruto smiled upon hearing that and nodded his head.

"So, what now tou-chan? How should I train in these elements?" Naruto was extremely excited to learn that he had much more potential to become stronger. He could protect his tou-chan and village that way. He still remembered the words written by the Shodai Hokage on that tree. He could feel the emotion with which the words were written. More so, his grandfather also dreamt of a peaceful world. He would create a world where his tou-chan, nii-san, his friends and he could live peacefully.

"Well Naru, that's why Kakashi is here right now. I have some important work to do at the Hokage's office. So, he will be helping you getting started with the basics of elemental manipulation." Minato said and looked towards Kakashi, making a silent request.

Surprisingly Kakashi nodded without any hesitation. Minato expected the man to be slightly reluctant or lazy perhaps but he guessed Kakashi was indeed eager to spend more time with Naruto. Minato soon disappeared to his office in a yellow flash and left the two alone.

Naruto looked at Kakashi curiously and asked, "Well nii-san! What are we going to do?"

Kakashi smiled wickedly which sent shivers down the young blonde's spine.

"Well outoto..."

* * *

 _ **Two Years and Four Months Later**_

" **Katon: Gokayaku no Jutsu** (Fire style: Fireball Jutsu)" Kakashi said as he breathed out a massive orb of flame which speedily headed straight towards Naruto. Seeing the flames coming towards him at a fast pace, Naruto held his hand in the _Ne_ (Rat) seal and said **Suiton: Suijinheki** (Water Style: Water Wall) while spewing out large amounts of water from his mouth. The water immediately formed a defensive barrier around Naruto, cancelling the **katon** jutsu.

As both the attacks got cancelled out, a thick mist was formed around the training ground, where Kakashi and Naruto were currently having their morning spars.

'He's gotten a lot better at using **Suiton** jutsu' Kakashi thought. Not even a second later his eyes widened as two shuriken came flying towards him with what he guessed were coated with **Futon** chakra. He substituted himself with a nearby log at the last second and now stood atop the branch of a nearby tree. He got a bit tense as he could not see Naruto anywhere once the mist was cleared. It was a meek point for Kakashi to try and sense him out and he knew it. In the past two years, Naruto had mastered controlling his chakra to an incredible degree and he knew the blonde could mask his chakra from him entirely.

Nonetheless, Kakashi scanned the area where the mist was more prominent with his sharingan for any whereabouts of the blonde. Kakashi then made three hand seals and **raiton** natured chakra could be seen crackling on his right hand. The sounds of birds chirping could be heard in the entire training ground. He jumped out from the tree and smashed his hand into the ground with excessive force.

" **Chidori** "

For a few seconds the ground crackled with electricity and then a large explosion took place. A large crater formed within the training ground as three Narutos could be seen standing in between all the rubble, suggesting that Naruto had used **Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu** , allowing him to hide underground like a mole.

Kakashi smirked at Naruto, having found his location with ease. Two Naruto's jumped at Kakashi quickly, while the third one jumped away to a safe spot.

Seeing the two Naruto come towards him, which he now knew were **Kage Bunshins** , he immediately made a **Kage Bunshin** of his own and jumped back. The first Naruto clone aimed a punch at Kakashi clone's chest but it ducked under the punch and tried to give the first Naruto Clone a kick. He was blocked this time by the second Naruto clone who was holding his legs. The first Naruto clone jumped in the air aiming to give a roundhouse kick to the Kakashi clone, when he smirked. Before the clones could realize what was happening, the Kakashi clone burst into lightening and electrocuted both of Naruto's clones, dispelling them too in the process.

This was a variation of **Kage Bunshin** which was made by Kakashi himself. He had named it **Raiton Kage Bunshin** (Lightning Shadow Clone). After training with the blonde on a regular basis for more than two years, he had improved several of his existing skills and made a couple of new ones. If one were to talk about his skills now, it would be borderline S-Rank.

As the real Kakashi jumped back, he saw the third Naruto make hand signs for a **Suiton** jutsu and started copying his hand signs by focusing on him with his sharingan.

" **Suiton: Suiyuudan no Jutsu** (Water Style:Water Dragon Jutsu)" Large amounts of water molecules were converted by Naruto to form a huge water dragon with menacing yellow eyes.

" **Suiton: Suiyuudan no Jutsu** (Water Style:Water Dragon Jutsu)" Kakashi said, as the water from a nearby pond rose several heights similar to the one formed by Naruto.

Both the water dragons roared and raced toward each other in frightening speed. The two water dragons collided with each other and flooded a part of the training ground with water. With practiced ease, both Naruto and Kakashi stood atop the water, focusing the chakra to the sole of their shoes.

Kakashi was slightly out of breath due to the high amounts of chakra he had been using today. Even though his chakra reserves had increased a lot in the last couple of years, his constantly active sharingan always had a drain on him and hence he tired easily in drawn out battles. He looked towards Naruto and saw him smirk. He was confused about Naruto's reaction until he saw him mouth those words, making his eyes widen.

" **Bunshin Daibakuha** (Great Clone Explosion)"

As the clone exploded, all the water in the area got splashed around everywhere and another large crater was formed. As the water was falling from the sky along with all the rock debris, it hid the ground temporarily. Naruto, who was henged as a rock on the far edge of the training ground, undid the henge and sensed Kakashi using the familiar **Sunshin no Jutsu**. He sensed his location in less than a second and just disappeared from his spot without any indication that he was there. There was no swirl of leaves or a cloud of smoke. He simply vanished. Naruto was extremely glad that Shisui helped him improve on this technique. Unlike most, who believe **Sunshin no Jutsu** to be only useful for transportation, Naruto integrated the technique well into his style of fighting.

'Of course, it had to be a clone' thought the copy ninja.

Kakashi had narrowly managed to sunshin out of the area on top of a tree at the edge of the training ground. As soon as he arrived there, a second later he felt the touch of cold metal touching his neck. He looked back to see Naruto standing behind him a kunai placed at his neck.

"You lose Kakashi nii-san" Naruto said while smirking.

"Well you got me again." He said with on his eye smiles. He pulled his headband down to cover his sharingan and then both sunshined inside the living room of the house.

"That was good spar Kakashi nii-san" Naruto said as he casually fell on the sofa. Naruto and Kakashi had made a routine of sparring with each other regularly, whether it be solely ninjutsu or taijutsu. Over the past two years, Naruto had thoroughly trained in arts of ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. Although Naruto was extremely proficient in using all chakra natures, he felt more comfortable with **Suiton** , **Katon** and **Futon**.

However, senjutsu was the area where the blond had improved upon the most. Even the toad elders and Jiraiya were surprised how quickly Naruto could enter sage mode. Initially it took him about five to six seconds to reach the enhanced state but now he could enter it instantly. It was like the chakra flowing in the world would rush in to enter his body, eager to rekindle with his chakra. The kind of things Naruto could do with senjutsu, it was beautiful yet terrifying.

"You're only seven Naruto and it's almost impossible for me to beat you in a spar." Kakashi said. "You have come a long way since the day we started training together. You should be proud of yourself Naruto" Kakashi said with an eye smile, "I know, I am." His smile grew as he saw Naruto's eyes widen ever so slightly. He too then sat down, tired from the all the morning exercise and the spar. Kakashi couldn't help but smile and feel proud of the way Naruto had turned out. Despite being young, he showed shinobi skills, maturity and wisdom far beyond his age.

"Really nii-san?" Naruto asked as he looked down with a small smile. It warmed his heart whenever his tou-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan or nii-san spoke of him this way. There weren't many people in the village Naruto spoke a lot too. So, he always treasured the compliments he got from his loved ones, for whatever reasons.

After Naruto spent a few seconds to recover from the kind words, he gave a small heartwarming smile. "Thank you, Kakashi nii-san" he brought his right hand to the back of his neck. "I really appreciate it, coming from you." He added. Kakashi nodded, both knew the other extremely well, even without the blonde's special skills.

After a few minutes of silence, Kakashi got up and saw that Naruto was already dozed off and thus left the house with a sunshin to his own apartment for a bath and a change of clothes.

* * *

 _ **Later in the evening**_

Sometime in the evening, the young Namikaze groggily opened his eyes and rubbed it slowly. Looking outside the window, he saw the sky was almost orange now. He instantly got up from the sofa and stretched his arms a bit.

Naruto was now seven years and seven months. He stood at a height of four feet and three inches, which was good for his age. He had lost most of his baby fat, a testament of the regular physical exercise he had been doing in the past few years. He wore a full sleeved grey shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol donning the back of it and black ANBU pants. The current Uchiha Clan head, Fugaku Uchiha who was good friends with Minato, had presented both him and Naruto the clan symbol as a sign of good will. This indicated that they were always welcomed within the Clan. The pants were gifted to Naruto by his brother like figure, Kakashi. He wore black gloves on his hands, which was his most cherished gift to him yet, given to him by his tou-chan. It belonged to his grandfather, Madara Uchiha, who had given it to his son when he dropped off young Minato outside of Konohagakure.

His most noticeable change was his hair. He had grown it longer in the last couple of years. He still had two bangs of blond hair with a mix of brown which framed the sides of his jaws. His hair now reached past his shoulder, almost till his mid waist. A bit of his hair now covered his right eye, which Naruto seemed to like. His eyebrows were cut short, showing a symbol of his nobility.

"Crap. I slept again." Naruto thought out loud.

'Not that dream again…' he thought as he walked to a washroom to freshen up. This had been a recent occurrence now.

In the past year, he had been getting dreams of a Nine Tailed Fox and an old man whose face he could not remember. Except that he had a shakujo in one of his hands. Naruto knew about the Kyubi No Yoko that was sealed within him now, but hadn't talked to anyone about it yet. He wanted to get used to the knowledge of it on his own. It was only a few months back that he found out about it, when he read a few books on Bijuus and jinchuriki. He was surprised there were eight more Bijuus like the fox and all of them were sealed within humans, who are called jinchuriki. Surprisingly, he was relieved finally knowing why it was majority of the villagers seemed to hate him and knowing what the overwhelming amount of chakra was which he often felt inside himself.

A few minutes later when Naruto came out of the washroom, he decided to finally speak to his father about this. He had thought the dreams would stop after a few months but it had been almost over a year now. He did not hate his tou-chan for keeping something like this from him. _He could never hate his tou-chan._ Nor did he hate the Sandaime. He knew they had their reasons and he understood them. From what he gathered by reading, the Kyubi was the strongest of all the bijuu and comparatively different from them. So, he had hypothesized it would require someone with a strong life force to be able to contain such potent and enormous chakra of the Bijuu. He knew one the main reasons for the bijuu to be sealed within him was because of his Uzumaki heritage. Hence, with that in mind, he walked upstairs to the library where he had sensed his father was.

Minato had returned to his house early today, deciding to finish rest of the paperwork in his library. The academy will be starting four months from now, in September, and Minato was looking forward to the new batch as his son, Naruto will be joining this year too. He knew his son was far ahead in terms of skills and knowledge compared to other kids in academy and even most of the Jounin for most matter. But, as every parent, he wanted Naruto to make more friends, get to know people more better and form a strong bond with the village.

Most of the friends Naruto currently had were far older than him and he only knew Sasuke and Sakura among his friends who were of his age. He chuckled a bit thinking about Sakura. That girl reminded him a lot of Kushina. Kind, gentle and scary when her mood is off. Nonetheless, he was glad the two were there in his son's life.

So, here he was now, looking at admission forms for all the academy students who will be joining this year as well as the teachers who will be teaching them during their time at the academy. As he flipped through the forms, his eyes landed on the picture of one named Iruka Umino.

He had been recently promoted to the chunin rank and had applied for the job as an academy teacher. He knew the boy during his time as a Jounin and smiled. Even though his parents were killed during the Kyubi attack, he knew he wouldn't act differently towards Naruto. 'He will be a good teacher for Naru'.

As Minato was going through the pages, he heard footsteps entering the library saw it was Naruto. He looked up from his work and smiled at him. However, looking at his eyes, he understood something was troubling him.

"What is it Naru? Anything happened?" He asked gently.

Naruto fidgeted his feet a bit and seemed a bit uncomfortable to speak about the subject he had mind, but decided to come out with it anyway.

"Tou-chan, I… I want to talk to you about something and ask you a favor?"

Minato became slightly worried looking at his face and immediately got up from his seat and walked up to him. He crouched down in front of him and put a hand to his cheek. "It's okay Naru. You can tell me anything. Did anything happen?"

"I have been having these dreams for over a year. At first I thought nothing of it. Then it continued to happen regularly and I thought it would stop after a while. But, it didn't stop." Naruto replied as he looked at his feet.

"Well? Tell me what it is about?"

"Its… um, about the Kyubi no Yoko, tou-chan. I know the Sandaime jiji had sealed fox in me because of my Uzumaki heritage. I have been seeing the fox and an old man with a shakujo frequently in the dreams I have been having." Naruto said slowly.

Minato froze in his spot as he heard the Kyubi's name. He didn't know whether to be amazed at his astuteness or be worried about him finding out about the Kyubi no Yoko. He knew how the villagers treated Naruto. But he can't change the views of people who can't look past their grief and sorrow. He dreaded thinking if his son hated him for making him a jinchuriki.

Naruto realized what his father was thinking and squeezed his hand gaining his attention. "I can never hate you tou-chan. You are the only one in this world I love the most. I understand why Sandaime jiji and you decided to seal the fox in me. I don't hate the villagers either. I love Konoha and her people with everything. I can feel they their emotions. They are grieving and are dejected about losing so many of their loved ones during the attack. They don't hate me, they hate the fox. But I know it's hard for them to look past that hatred."

Minato just stared at his son as he spoke about the village. He still couldn't believe the little blond he had held in his hand for the first time almost eight years ago was speaking so wisely. A tear slipped down his eye as he realized the last words Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke to him before he perished.

 _Flashback_

 _Sarutobi Hiruzen was down on the ground, panting heavily. The_ _ **Shiki Fujin** (Dead Demon Consuming seal)_ _seal on his chest was clearly visible which he had used to seal the Yin chakra of the Kyubi no Yoko within himself. His entire body was burning from the inside. He didn't count on the chakra being this strong and potent. He was aware he was counting his last breath and dying like a true Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato should- protecting the village from her enemies._

 _He looked to his left and saw the young blond boy, Naruto Namikaze, in whom he had sealed the Yang half of the Kyubi's chakra. Seeing Minato cradle the boy in his arms, a smile came to his face as he knew he made the right decision. A jinchuriki's life is filled with hatred and hardships. Naruto had already lost his mother tonight and was condemned to a life of hate. He couldn't take away his father from him too. At least with Minato around, Naruto would have a chance at normal life. As normal as it could get for the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko._

 _He saw Minato approach him with Naruto in his arms. He gazed at the little baby with admiration in his eyes. The village had a new hero. Someone, who would protect them every day._

" _Arigatō, Sandaime-sama. You don't know how grateful I am. I will make sure my son grows up happy and loved." Minato said with a few tears in his eyes._

" _A… shinobi's... l…life is not… measured by… how he lives Minato-kun, b…but by how he dies" He replied with a smile in between breaths._

 _He looked at the little blond one last time and Minato bent down so that Sarutobi could get a better look at him. He lifted his hand with sheer will and caressed Naruto's cheek._

" _He is… the hero of Konohagakure no Sato, Minato-kun. A day will come… when you will see the… will of fire burn brightly his eyes. He was born during time of… great chaos and darkness, but he… will be the one… to shine light upon the shinobi world." With those words, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato, the third man to ever gain the title of Shinobi No Kami, closed his eyes forever._

 _Flashback end_

'You were right Sandaime-sama. The will of fire burns brightly in Naru.' Minato thought. He felt Naruto put his little hands on his face and wipe away the tear.

"I'm sorry Naru that I did not tell you about this sooner. I was worried about how you would react and thought about telling you when you were older." Minato said in a low voice.

"I know tou-chan. It's alright." Naruto said as he smiled at his beloved father.

"Tou-chan… um, I want to speak to the Kyubi!" Naruto said and spoke the last rather hastily.

"…You want to what?"

"I want to talk to the Kyubi" Naruto said again but more clearly.

Minato's face became serious hearing Naruto's request. Naruto had never asked his father for anything in his short life. Seeing his father's serious look, he was worried he was going to be scolded for asking such a question. Honestly, he himself did not know why he wanted to speak to the bijuu. He did not hate the bijuu, neither did he like the bijuu. That's mainly because whatever he read about the chakra entities was from the point of view of humans. He wanted to understand the bijuu. Why they were how the humans made them out to be. Why could he only feel hatred and malice and a slight hint of loneliness when he tried feeling the massive chakra that was there in inside his body.

"Naruto? Why do you want to talk to the Kyubi?" Minato asked in a serious voice. He was sure he could suppress the Kyubi with his Mangekyō Sharingan if need be and that the cage was strong enough to hold the fox back. But still, he needed to know the reason behind his son's peculiar request.

"I want to understand the bijuu tou-chan. Why is it that they exist? Everything we know about the bijuu is from the human's point of view, who hate the creatures." Naruto said with equal seriousness.

Minato was slightly taken aback by that response. He did expect him to have thought about it so deeply. He thought about it for a minute and then nodded.

Naruto sat in a lotus position in front of his tou-chan. Minato activated his sharingan, as his eyes changed from sapphire blue to red color with three tomoes in it. He looked towards Naruto as the tomoes in his sharingan started spinning in clockwise direction.

 _Naruto's Mindscape_

Both Naruto and Minato appeared in what seemed to be a sewer. There were pipes in every wall and the floor was filled with water with about twenty centimeters in height. They saw a long corridor in front of them and started walking in that direction.

" **Come closer** " called out a deep voice which they both knew belonged to the Kyubi No Yoko.

After walking for a couple of minutes, Naruto and Minato found themselves staring at a big iron door with vertical bars. In the middle of the door, there was a small piece of paper with the kanji for _Seal_ imprinted on it. Naruto looked inside the cage but it looked empty. He was about to inside but was stopped by Minato's hand on his shoulder.

"Wait Naru. The fox will show itself." Minato said.

Suddenly behind the bars of the empty cage, Naruto and Minato saw two glowing red eyes with black vertical slits. As the eyes approached the door, he noticed the form of the fox with nine tails swinging wildly on his back. There it stood behind the doors, the most powerful being in the world, the most powerful of the nine bijuu, the Kyubi the Yoko.

" **Naruto** " said the fox as he stared at Naruto in the eye.

For a few minutes the Kyubi and Naruto just gazed at each other in the eyes.

Before when Naruto tried to feel the mass in his gut, he only ever felt hatred or malice and at times, loneliness. Now standing so close to the Bijuu, he seemed almost calm. Naruto smiled. His senjutsu chakra was… soothing and relaxing the Kyubi.

Whatever the case, Naruto was aware that the Kyubi could also feel him, like he too had the ability to read emotions. It had been over five minutes and the Kyubi and Naruto were still gazing into each other's eyes. It was like they were intently watching each other's soul. Naruto saw something in the fox's eyes that made his eyes widen.

 _They both were the same. They both were hated and scorned by the villagers. They both were considered demons. They both knew the meaning of loneliness. Knew the meaning of hatred. They both were forced upon each other and they were both the definition of strong._

 _They were the same, in more ways than one._

Naruto understood the bijuu now. He was misunderstood. He was lonely. And it was because humans feared his power, that they hated him. Naruto stood proud and tall in front of the great Kyubi No Yoko and give him a smile and nod of his head, which was replicated by the Kyubi himself.

 _It is said, that when two people can feel each other's emotion, they don't need words to express themselves. Because when you can feel each other at such an intimate level, you cannot help but love them._

Meanwhile, Minato stood behind beside Naruto and intently watched the interaction between Naruto and the Kyubi. He knew his son had the innate ability to feel one's emotion. Yet he did not understand what it was Naruto was trying to achieve here. His eyes widened when he saw his son nod his head to the fox and the fox returning the gesture with a smile of his own pointed canines.

"I'm sorry for what has happened to you" Naruto said after the long silence, surprising Minato even further.

" **I know.** " Replied the fox still looking at the tiny form of Naruto.

Naruto raised his right hand and formed it into a fist and outstretched it towards the Kyubi.

"Naru…!" Minato was about to stop his son when he stopped dead in his tracks at the scene in front of him. Never in his life had he seen such a thing in front of him. A seven year old boy befriending the greatest bijuu in the world.

And so, the Kyubi too bumped his fists with Naruto. From there, they were linked. They both knew everything about each other. Their origins, their life, their thoughts, their darkness and more importantly, they knew they could trust each other with their lives.

Naruto now knew about the Rikoudo Sennin, Hagoromo Otsusuki. He knew about his two sons Indra Otsusuki and Ashura Otsusuki. The reasons behind why this shinobi world headed into this war-torn state. The reason why he felt he was different than other people. He now knew who he was as he looked at the sun and moon mark on the palms of his right and left hand.

 _But most important of all, he knew the type of person his mother was._

"I will save you one day… Kurama." Naruto gave one of the most beautiful smiles Minato had ever seen.

"Naru?" Minato called out to him hesitantly.

A few seconds later, Naruto turned to his father. "Yes tou-chan?"

"What happened just now?" He asked a bit warily. It was weird for him to watch the Kyubi smile. Naruto chuckled seeing his father's reaction. 'It must have been awfully weird for him' he mused.

He turned back to Kurama and asked, "Kurama, can you show my tou-chan everything you showed me just now?"

The fox got up on his legs with his nine tails swinging wildly behind him and lowered his head to Minato's eye level.

" **Madara's son.** " Kurama growled. Minato sweat dropped at that reply.

"Hey! He's my grandfather okay!" Naruto replied childishly with a mock glare. His grandfather and tou-chan were his idols. He would never take anyone bad mouthing them.

" **Fine. Whatever.** " Kurama said and outstretched his fist towards Minato.

Minato looked towards Naruto questioningly, unsure of what to do.

"It's alright tou-chan. Bump fists with him and you will know what I'm talking about."

Deciding to trust his son, Minato bumped his fist with the Kyubi's. Once they had broken contact, he stayed quiet for a while. He knew everything now. His origins. The unaltered history of the shinobi world. He turned his gaze towards his son and once again just stared at him with disbelief in his eyes. Something which he had been doing a lot in the past few years. He wondered if there was anything that Naruto couldn't do. It was just too overwhelming. Yet, it made sense.

He closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. A trait he seemed share with his son when he was in deep thought. He went through everything and re-arranged all the information he already knew with what he had learned recently.

A few minutes later, Minato opened his eyes and walked towards Naruto. He instantly picked him up in his right arm and patted his head with his left. All of this caused the young blonde to become extremely flushed.

"TOU-CHAN!" Naruto shouted extremely embarrassed that Kurama was watching all of this.

"Shhh… Let me talk okay?" Minato asked softly, earning a small nod from Naruto.

"I have never believed in destiny Naruto. I always believe that one forges their own path through hard work and determination. But what I learned right now was extremely overwhelming. But it does make sense for the shinobi world's current situation. I have always thought of you to be special. But that's every parent's duty, ne?" Minato started.

"Like every parent, it is my duty to believe in you. To guide you in your dark times and stand alongside you when in the light. So, it doesn't matter whether you are the _Child of Prophecy_ or the fact that we both are descendants of the Rikoudo Sennin. You are Naruto Namikaze, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. That's what you'll always be to me. I will always believe in you, Naru." Minato finished as he kissed his son on the forehead.

Naruto could feel the love his tou-chan had for him. It made him feel so warm to be in his embrace. It made him feel safe. He knew who he was and what he had to do. He was Naruto Namikaze and he would always love his tou-chan and strive to create a world where his loved ones could live peacefully.

Naruto looked at his father in the eyes and nodded his head slowly, engulfing him in a tight hug.

" **Enough with this mushy scene. It's giving me a headache.** " Kyubi said in his ever so deep voice. Minato and Naruto chuckled seeing Kurama resting his head on his paws.

 _Today a bond was formed between the three. One which would shape the world in the unforeseen future._

* * *

 _ **Five Days later, Konohagakure No Sato**_

Naruto was casually sitting at the edge of a lake on the west side of the village. He usually came over to train when Kakashi and Minato were busy with their work. Today however, he decided to just rest and enjoy the lax time. It was late evening now and the sky was very clear tonight. He was lying down on the grass with his legs hanging a few inches above the water surface. He was told he would joining the academy soon in the coming months and he was extremely excited on the prospect of making new friends. He wondered if Sakura would be joining too.

'I should ask her soon.' He thought off-handedly.

He closed his eyes and felt the different emotions flowing in the village. It was among his favorite things to do. He felt most of the people were quite happy. Some were sad for reasons he did not understand. While some were… horny? He had learned a thing or two about such things from Kakashi. Watching him read those orange books every time had piqued his interest. So, one day he managed to snatch a book from him without letting him know and read it. It's suffice to say, he was scarred that day for life.

A while later, Naruto got up from his position and decided to walk to Ichiraku Ramen to satisfy his ramen urges. As he was walking towards the place through the market street of the village, his eyes landed on a girl about the same age as him. She was staring inside one of the shops and by the look on her face, he assumed she must really like what she was staring at.

She had neck length dark blue color hair and white eyes. 'A Hyuuga...' Naruto thought. She wore a lavender color kimono with a white floral design and brown colored sandals. As she turned towards him, he noticed how beautiful her face was. Her eyes were so hypnotizing and mesmerizing. The two stared at each other for a few seconds until he heard someone call out to her.

"Hinata-sama. It's getting late. We must return to the house soon. Your mother is waiting for you." Said one of the branch Hyuuga members, who was Hinata's escort outside the Hyuuga compound.

Naruto saw her leave and he kept his eyes on her retreating figure. He saw her turn her head slightly to look at him and for reasons unknown to him, he gave her a big smile and waved to her gently.

'Hinata… That's a pretty name.' he thought as he slid his hands inside his pocket and walked to the Ichiraku Ramen Store.

* * *

 _ **Near the borders of Hi No Kuni and Land of Grass**_

It was late at night, and three shinobi could be seen entering the borders of _Hi no Kuni_ from the Land of Grass. Each of them had a black cloak on them and a black face mask covered their faces. However, the most prominent feature about them was their forehead protector which had the kanji for _Earth_ on it.

They were hopping from one tree to another and were travelling at a fast pace. They had recently been given an assassination mission by their Tsuchikage and were also provided help from within Konoha. Hence, they were traveling at a fast pace to meet with their informant. However, not everyone in the team was made aware of the identity of their target. Due to the sensitivity of the mission, only the team captain was briefed about the mission and their target in detail.

Seeing as they were inside the borders of _Hi No Kuni_ now, one of the team members voiced his thoughts to the team captain, who was leading ahead.

"Taicho? Who's our target?" he asked with seriousness present in his voice.

Without taking his eyes off the dark path ahead, the team captain replied with a sick smile.

"… _Naruto Namikaze_ "

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter!**

 **Next chapter will probably by posted by March 5 or March 6, 2017.**

 **Naruto's training with Kakashi, Minato, Itachi and Shisui will showed in flashbacks in the coming chapters. Naruto will have the same aptitude as Indra Otsusuki in his ability to grasp the theory behind ninjutsu and natural skills in the shinobi arts.**

 **He will be learning Kenjutsu later on. I want to allow his body to grow up more. Right now, he has the skills, the knowledge, the speed but not the strength in his body. So, once he's slightly older, probably around 11 years of age. He will start learning kenjutsu. Now, he wont be a fuinjutsu expert like Minto, Kushina, Mito or Tobirama. But, he will be proficient enough to use it when or if, it is required.**

 **The next chapter will feature Naruto awakening his sharingan, the changes in his personality, him attending the academy where he will meet Hinata and the other kids of his age.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story. The reviews are greatly appreciated. It would help me revise the plot I have in my mind and better it. So, do let me know your thoughts on how the story has started off.**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers. I am updating this chapter early, since I had been thinking about it a lot. So, just had to put it out there as soon as possible. I hope everyone comes to like it.**

 **So, this chapter shows how Naruto actually feels about the shinobi world. I know, I'm making Sakura and Hinata close friends of Naruto. Naruto and Hinata's relationship will start off slowly. It wont be a typical romance. They will come to realize their feelings for each other later in the story. A lot later. But they will have close moments. Naruto's personality will change slowly. He will keep himself slightly withdrawn. Not completely giving into his hatred. He will have his kindness. But he will go through some instances which will make him lose faith in the shinobi world. This is just the beginning.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Awakening**

* * *

 _ **Next day, Namikaze Compound**_

Naruto slowly opened his eyes as the first rays of the sunlight bathed the entire room with its sunny rays. The blond sat up from his sleeping spot and glanced at the clock on the wall in front, which showed seven in the morning and stretched his arms to get rid of the stiffness from them. He removed the blanket on top of him and stepped out of his comfortable bed and walked into the washroom to have a bath.

An hour later, Naruto could be seen walking downstairs wearing a grey t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on his back and black ANBU pants. He had black sandals on and was wearing black gloves. As he walked down towards the kitchen, he saw his tou-chan and Jiraiya already sitting on the table having breakfast. It had been a while since he had seen his oji-chan. Even though Jiraiya was not an active shinobi of Konoha anymore, his job was far too important for him to be staying within the village.

The last two years had made Naruto see Jiraiya in a different light. The old man had helped Naruto grow immensely in various aspects. He may be a super pervert but the man was an experienced, wise and a strong shinobi. Incredibly strong. He still shivered thinking of how much his body hurt after all those taijutsu exercises with him. There were times when he would return home with various scrapes and bruises all over his body. If not for his potent chakra which provided him advanced healing powers, he doubted he could have continued that sort of brutal physical training with the Sannin given his age.

His smile faded slightly as he remembered the promise he made to himself a while back when he overheard Jiraiya and Fukasaku talk.

 _Flashback One year ago_

 _For the last couple of months, Naruto and Jiraiya had worked intensively on their ability to harness senjutsu chakra. Jiraiya often took Naruto to Mount Myoboku so they both could train together and to indulge the boy in various aspects which comes under senjutsu._

 _Earlier, Jiraiya required the help of the two great sages of Mount Myoboku, Fukasaku-sama and Shima-sama to enter sage mode, while Naruto could enter the enhanced state all on his own. This attribute of Naruto baffled Jiraiya and even the great toad sages greatly. In all their time, they had never come across anyone who was so closely connected or compatible with nature chakra._

 _Naruto was able to do things which a normal six year child should not be able to do. The little blond boy could understand all the techniques taught to him on his first try without much explanation. Despite his small body, he could defeat ANBU level shinobi in taijutsu alone when he enhanced his muscles with senjutsu chakra and could sometimes go toe to toe with Minato or Jiraiya when he's using Sage Mode. His abnormally amazing chakra control was another aspect which should not have been possible for Naruto. Such a level of precision was something only Tsunade Senju possessed._

 _That alone raised a lot of questions in Jiraiya's mind. For a long time, he had thought Minato to be the Child of Prophecy. But watching Naruto grow made him question his speculations. The rate at which Naruto was progressing also terrified him. He was an Uchiha after all. Jiraiya still hadn't forgotten the look in Minato's eyes when he butchered those Iwagakure shinobi. He knew by the time that Naruto grew past the age of fifteen or even twelve for that matter, his powers would be comparable to even gods. That thought alone sent shivers down his spine at times._

 _What were the boy's limits?_

 _Did he… have any?_

 _Eventually, it began to make more and more sense to him. Naruto was incredibly mature for his age. Even though he acted his own age in front of Minato, he showed wisdom far beyond his age. He saw things from an adult's point of view and understand their concerns._

 _While training in senjutsu, Naruto had discovered that he could enter the enhanced state instantly. Senjutsu is a specialized field of technique that allows the user to sense and gather natural energy that is flowing in the world. However, for Naruto, it's a completely different experience. He could feel the energy flowing within the world as if it was a natural practice to him. While most users must gather the natural energy and balance it with their Yin and Yang chakra, in Naruto's case, the senjutsu chakra would come rushing inside his body like a tidal wave and balance itself on its own._

 _Another thing which Naruto discovered was that he had the ability to transfer chakra, even senjutsu chakra. In any case Jiraiya required to enter the Sage Mode and time was of the essence, Naruto could channel natural energy from himself onto him. So, all Jiraiya had to do was balance the natural energy with his spiritual (Yin) and physical (Yang) chakra. In the amount of time Jiraiya had trained with Naruto, he had learned a few things from him. He reduced the time it took him to enter Sage Mode and no longer required Fukasaku and Shima to assist him._

 _Currently, a six year old Naruto was standing beside Jiraiya in the gardens of the Namikaze Compound._

" _Well, what are you waiting for? Summon Gamakichi and tell him to ask Fukasaku-sensei to reverse summon us." Jiraiya said._

" _Hai Jiraiya- sensei!" Naruto replied which earned a smile from the Toad Sannin. That was another thing which the blond had started calling him during their training sessions. Apart from his father, Jiraiya was the only one who could understand Naruto completely. He thought it was probably because they were the only three people who could utilize senjutsu in the elemental nations currently._

 _Naruto bit his left thumb, drawing a bit of blood and went through a couple of hand signs and slammed his left hand on the ground saying,_

" _ **Kuchiyose No Jutsu**_ _"_

 _Suddenly there was a cloud of smoke and there appeared to be a small toad. It was a young orange toad with purple markings around his eyes, mouth and stomach. The toad was small enough to fit on top of Naruto's head._

" _Gamakichi!" Naruto yelled as he picked up the toad in his hands and put him on top of his head. Gamakichi shifted a bit to get comfortable in his spot and bumped fists with Naruto as a show of their friendship. The two had known each other since Naruto was four years old and had become friends immediately._

" _Yo! Naruto. What's up? Why did you call me?" Gamakichi asked._

" _Kichi, could you ask Fukasaku-sensei and Shima-sama to reverse summon us to Mount Myoboku. We need to get some training done." Naruto replied._

" _Sure Bro!" with that Gamakichi disappeared in a cloud of smoke to the land of Toads. Jiraiya and Naruto stood close to each other as they waited for the reverse summon technique to take place._

 _After a few seconds, both were transported via reverse summoning to Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya and Naruto soon found themselves standing near a special portal that linked Mount Myoboku and Konohagakure. This was known as the Distant Body Water or Enshinsui. This portal enables smaller toads to quickly travel between the two places without the use of the summoning technique. Combined with a toad that can perform the summoning jutsu, the toads can be summoned to aid Konohagakure in the event a living Toad summoner isn't in Konoha at the time or summon people to Mount Myoboku from Konoha._

" _Naruto-chan. It's been a while since you have come to visit us. How have you been?" asked Fukasaku. He was a small green toad with white hair styled in somewhat of a Mohawk, very thick eyebrows and a small goatee. He wears a simple brown colored cape and has black pigmentation around his yellow eyes. His pupils are bar shaped and are black in color. Fukasaku, often referred to as 'Head' is an elder toad over eight hundred years old and a revered user of senjutsu._

 _Naruto bowed his head in respect before the elder toad sage._

" _I'm good Fukasaku-sensei. Jiraiya-sensei says I'm almost done with finishing the Frog Katas and has one final test for me." Naruto exclaimed as he felt Jiraiya ruffle his hair gently._

 _Fukasaku glanced at Jiraiya from the corner of his eyes and saw him nod his head ever so slightly. 'So, it's time… it's hard to believe how fast you're growing, Naruto-chan.' The elder toad thought as he released a sigh._

 _Jiraiya ushered Naruto to go ahead and look for Gamakichi while he had to talk with Fukasaku. Naruto could feel something was troubling Jiraiya and wanted to ask him about it. But one look at Jiraiya's face and he knew he wouldn't be told anything. Naruto innocently nodded and ran ahead, while discretely making a single hand seal. Jiraiya smiled softly, looking at the blonde's retreating form. The boy looked so innocent right now. As soon as Naruto was out of sight, his facial features took a grim expression thinking of all the difficulties Naruto would have to face._

" _Nothing has changed Fukasaku-sensei…" Jiraiya said tiredly._

" _What do you mean, Jiraiya boy?" asked Fukasaku curiously._

" _Shodai-sama created the system of villages, forming an era of temporary peace and ended the era of Great Clan Wars. But did it change anything? Wherever you go, there is always war. The last three shinobi wars are a prime exemplar of that. I hear a civil war might start soon in Kirigakure due to the madness of their Mizukage, who is a jinchuriki. The relations between Iwagakure, Sunagakure and our village hasn't been steady. I fear they may be planning something as per my spy network. There's this group of mercenaries which is made of entirely missing ninjas. They are new and are being funded by Iwagakure and some smaller villages I have heard. And the thing is, they are all S-Rank shinobi. I don't know their objective yet but it won't be anything good. I dread if this situation continues, another shinobi war is not too far away." Jiraiya said grimly._

" _There's so much of hate in this world. A shinobi of one village is ordered to kill the shinobi of another even during these times if they are from an enemy village. The shinobi don't even know each other and fight to kill the other because of the hate that has been festered since generations ago. And if the war does occur, young children will be sent to the front lines again. Sometimes I wonder if true peace is ever possible. Minato and I have lost so much fighting in the last two shinobi wars. I don't want Naruto to go through the same."_

 _Fukasaku stared at his long-time student with a solemn expression. He knew how much Jiraiya cared for Naruto and to watch the young child train only for him to go through a war must be hard on the Sannin._

" _He has a strong will Jiraiya. Believe in him. He will grow up to be a man of unimaginable strength."_

 _Jiraiya and Fukasaku went ahead to the grassy fields to look for Naruto, completely missing a pair of violet eyes followed by the whole body that shimmered into existence at the side._

' _Peace… A place where people don't hate each other. I… will create a world where you can live happily… Tou-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan.' He thought with a few tear rolling down his face._

 _That day Naruto felt hate for the first time. Hate for those who made his tou-chan and oji-chan suffer._

 _The sun mark and half crescent moon mark on Naruto's hand glowed for a second before it went back to normal._

 _Flashback End_

His face then opted a happy smile as he walked towards the table where his father and godfather were sitting.

"Good morning tou-chan, oji-chan." Naruto greeted as he sat down on the table to Minato's left.

"Naru, you woke up early today. Did you sleep okay?" Minato asked.

"Hai, tou-chan. Well, I was going to go meet Sakura today. You know, I wanted to ask her if she was joining the academy." Naruto said. He heard his godfather giggling slightly and looked at him narrowed eyes. His godfather had the tendency to get ideas for his orange books from uncanny situations.

"Hey! Hey! No need to look at me like that. I'm not going to do anything." Jiraiya said frantically as he saw both Minato and Naruto looking at him suspiciously.

"Yeah right! First chance you get to see me hanging out with her, you will start scribbling ideas in your notepad for your smut!" Naruto said nonchalantly as he filled his cup with some milk. Minato had to stifle a laughter upon hearing that.

Jiraiya scoffed on hearing his work being called a smut. "I will let you know that my book's sales are great and a lot of people tend to enjoy the literature in it."

"Yeah only the lonely and single people read those books of yours." Naruto said. There were still times when Naruto had nightmares, remembering the descriptive words in the book he read.

Minato laughed seeing a pout on Jiraiya's face. Soon enough everyone started to laugh seeing Jiraiya's predicament. Naruto smiled inwardly, feeling the jovial and carefree emotion radiating from his tou-chan and oji-chan.

'I wish everything always stays like this.' Naruto thought.

It was around an hour later that everyone got up from the table after the satisfying breakfast and went off to do their work.

Jiraiya had to leave the village again for a while to gather further information regarding the situation in Iwagakure and the Civil War that recently started in Kirigakure that had divided the village into two fractions- Rebels and the Resistance. The war was allegedly started by the Yondaime Mizukage of Kirigakure, the jinchuriki of the Three Tails, Sanbi. The man was leading a war to purge the bloodline users from Mizu. It was said that he thought them to be too dangerous and their blood had been tainted due to their Kekkei Genkai. Thus, he decided to kill his own people. Thousands of innocent people had already been slaughtered and this was only the beginning of the genocide.

Minato had gone to the Hokage's office to finish off the remaining paperwork he had and some of the council meetings he had to attend regarding their upcoming treaty talks with Sunagakure.

Seeing as he did not have much to do today, Naruto decided to complete his morning routine of physical exercises and head off to meet Sakura sometime after and then train on the west side of the village as usual.

* * *

 _ **Late Afternoon, Shūmatsu no Tani**_

 _Shūmatsu no Tani_ (Valley of the End)

The Valley of the End serves as a monumental place for the shinobi of Konohagakure No Sato. This was the land where their Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju, fought the fallen Uchiha Clan leader, Madara Uchiha, stopping him from destroying the Hidden Leaf. That is what majority of the population were led to believe of Madara's intentions.

The destructive power displayed in the epic battle left a scar in the earth that is today known as the Valley of End. The waterfall serves as the border between Land of Fire and Land of Sound. The valley was later memorialized with two giant statues of the main combatants: Hashirama Senju on the Land of Fire's side of the waterfall and Madara Uchiha on the opposite to symbolize his defection from the village. The statues are posed to make the Traditional Shinobi Sparring's Seal of Confrontation, which is protocol before a duel.

A young boy around the age of seven standing at a height of four feet and one inches could be seen standing on top of Hashirama Senju's head. He had been waiting around the area for the past few hours to meet with the team that would be executing tonight's mission. From first glance, one might think the boy was an ANBU because of the mask he was wearing over his face and his style of clothing. However, the strange thing about the mask was that it was completely blank and white in color, with a kanji of ' _Ne'_ at the top right corner of the mask. This signified that he was a Root ANBU agent.

Half an hour later a group of three shinobi could be seen emerging from the forests behind the statue of Madara Uchiha. They quickly crossed the lake and were now standing in front of their informant/assistant. The leader looked at the boy standing in front of him and was surprised a boy so young was an ANBU agent.

"Who are you, boy?"

"We are the roots that protect the village from the shadows." Replied the boy, gaining a nod from the team's leader.

The ANBU handed the leader a folder, who looked at the ANBU with narrowed eyes.

"There is no need to look at me with suspicion. The folder contains the information regarding the boy. You know your job well. Get him back to Iwagakure dead or alive. If you keep your deal, our master will be willing to cooperate with Tsuchikage-sama." Said the Root agent in a monotone voice.

"Tch. Don't tell me how to do my job, kid. That bastard's son will be dead tonight." Said the leader irritatingly.

"Do not fail the mission." Were the ANBU's last words before he disappeared in a shunshin.

"Let's rest here for a few minutes. Tonight, Iwagakure shall their revenge against the _Kiiroi Senko._ " The leader ordered.

* * *

 _ **Late Evening, Konohagakure No Sato**_

The whole day went by either training or studying scrolls inside the Namikaze Compound for Naruto. His father was still busy within the Hokage office and Itachi, Kakashi and Shisui were all away on missions. The only other person who Naruto considered his close friend in the village was Sakura. So, here he was now outside, looking for her.

Naruto was silently walking towards the playground with his hands in pockets of his new kimono. It was a windy night and Naruto was wearing a maroon color kimono over his gray t-shirt and black colored pants. It was high collared, held close by a black color stash. The collar of the kimono was adorned by nine magatamas, which was surprisingly Kurama's idea.

" **Loner.** " Commented Kyubi, seeing Naruto's current predicament.

'Hey! No one asked you okay and I'm not a loner. I'm just… I'm a very astute child, who likes indulging in decent conversations. So, it's hard to find someone like me.' Naruto replied to his friend folding his arms over chest and puffing his cheeks in embarrassment.

" **That was pathetic. Even for you.** " Snickered the Kyubi, hearing Naruto's response.

Deciding not to indulge his friend in further humiliating him, he kept quiet and walked towards the park. A few minutes of walk later, he arrived at the park and found it to be empty, much to his dismay. In two years of knowing her, he still did not know where she lived. Thinking of that itself made him feel somewhat stupid. He was about to leave when he saw two people sitting on the sandbox on the far left and talking to each other.

He went a bit closer and smiled on seeing it was Sakura with another girl sitting opposite to her. He was startled that it was the same girl he saw the previous evening.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said loudly, gaining the two girls attention.

Sakura turned towards the voice and was surprised to see that it was Naruto. Her cheeks reddened a bit, but went back to their original shade immediately. It had been a few months since she had last seen Naruto. She got up from her spot and stepped outside of the sandbox.

"Naruto-kun. What are you doing here?" Sakura asked gently. Naruto stopped in front of her and was amazed at how much she had changed in the past few months. Her pink hair was now longer, which reached up to her mid-waist and had a dark pink colored ribbon on her forehead. She wore a red colored t-shirt along with a black skirt having polka dots design carved on them.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. A trait which he seemed to do a lot in front of her.

"Ah well… You know. My tou-chan is busy today and I don't have anyone to spend time with or talk to. I thought I might come visit you. It's been a while since we met, you know." Naruto said.

Sakura was about to reply when she realized she wasn't alone here. She turned back and motioned for her friend to come over. Again, Naruto couldn't help but be mesmerized by her eyes. To him, it looked even prettier under the moonlight.

"Naruto-kun, this is my best friend Hinata Hyuuga. We met few months back in this same park. She usually comes here with her mother." She said.

After few seconds had passed, Naruto snapped out of his trance and put his hand forward as a sign of friendship and said "I'm Naruto Namikaze. Pleased to meet you."

The Hyuuga Clan is among the oldest Clans in Konohagakure No Sato. Even though it was the Senju Clan who had offered them to become part of the village, they went along moderately well with the Uchiha. The Hyuuga and Uchiha are the only clans in Konoha who have doujutsu based Kekkei Genkai. While the sharingan allowed the user to see chakra, giving it color in order to distinguish it by its composition and source, the Byakugan allows the user to see the chakra pathways, the tenketsu points as well as providing a near 360º field of vision.

Hinata herself did not have many friends. Being part of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan demanded her to hold a certain air of nobility around herself. She was rarely allowed to go out and there were only few occasions when her mother took her out to the park for a walk. After her sister, Hanabi was born two years earlier, her parents had become extremely busy in taking care of the little baby. Although, they never secluded Hinata and loved her immensely, Hinata often felt alone due to the lack of friends. She had been trained in the arts of the Hyuuga Clan taijutsu katas since the age of five. Hiashi couldn't have been any prouder, seeing his first born having such aptitude for the _Juken_. Many within the clan described Hinata to have both Hiashi's and Hitomi's features- Hiashi's talent in taijutsu and her mother Hitomi's kind and gentle nature. Her training in the shinobi field and her status as the clan heiress often got in her way of making friends. That led to her being rather quiet when meeting new people.

She knew who Naruto was. Who in the village didn't know of him? Naruto Namikaze, son of Yondaime Hokage, the greatest Hokage, Konoha has ever seen and the grandson of Madara Uchiha, the greatest traitor in the history of Konoha. Her father had told her about the Namikaze Clan when she was made to study politics. Because of the Yondaime's actions in the Third Shinobi War and his great help during the Kyubi attack almost eight years ago, the Namikaze Clan had also gained a royalty status within the village.

Thus, she was surprised by his offer of friendship. She remembered seeing him last night in the market place and wanted to talk to him, but never got around to it. She stared into his eyes and saw the same warmth and kindness she remembered from last night and it made her feel…. safe.

Holding his hand gently, she replied with a kind smile "Hello Naruto-kun. I'm Hinata. It's very nice to meet you."

Sakura who was watching the interaction from the side, was looking them with amusement. She knew both Hinata and Naruto belonged to major Clans of the village and did not have many friends. She felt glad to have introduced these two.

She softly nudged them both on the side.

"Well, are you two going to be holding each other's hands all night? Let's go sit somewhere!" Sakura said and giggled when both took their hands back and blushed a little.

On second thought, it might be more fun teasing them.

"Hai, Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a smile, which made the pink haired girl to smile faintly. Sakura didn't know why she smiled so much around him. She guessed it was probably because he was her first friend in this village.

The three went to the sandbox, where Hinata and Sakura were previously sitting, and sat there comfortably. Naruto felt slightly uncomfortable doing things which kids his age normally do, which was not missed by Hinata.

Looking at the two, Sakura felt slightly down thinking that while most of the students in the class would belong to major clans of Konoha, she was a civilian based aspiring Kunoichi. It was a fact that most of the children belonging to Clans were given specialized training of some sort before they are made to enter the academy. Although Sakura's parents were ninja, they were only active chunin during the Third Shinobi World War and had retired after that. She knew while she was smart, she did not have any experience in hand to hand combat.

"Are you joining the academy Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Uh-Huh. I will be joining this September. My parents told me that several other clan heirs and heiress' will be joining." Replied Sakura. However, both Naruto and Hinata could see that she looked somewhat troubled.

"Sakura-chan, you seem a bit upset. Has anything happened?" Hinata asked as she rested her hand on shoulder. Naruto smiled at seeing the look of genuine concern on Hinata's face.

"N... no. It's nothing." Sakura said as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Hinata immediately engulfed her in a hug and ran her hand on her back soothingly.

Jiraiya had once told Naruto that he was probably the foremost sensor in the shinobi world now. Combined with his senjutsu abilities, Naruto could exactly feel one's emotions in their heart. It was an extremely significant compliment made by someone who had witnessed the Nidaime Hokage in battle.

Closing his eyes momentarily, Naruto focused his senses on the pink haired girl and allowed the waves of emotions to enter his mind.

 _Insecurity… Timidity… Approval of friends…_

Naruto understood the reasons behind her troubles. The girl did not believe in herself. She considered herself less important compared to others and did not think she could reach out to her dreams.

He opened his eyes and frowned seeing her sad. He never liked seeing anyone close to him upset. He too rested his hand on her other shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You will be a great Kunoichi one day, Sakura-chan. I believe in you." Naruto said with a kind smile.

Sakura's eyes widened on hearing Naruto's words. No one, apart from her parents and Hinata, had ever told that they believed in her. She shut her eyes and thanked the gods for giving her such caring and understanding friends. She saw Naruto gesturing her to come towards him with his left hand. As she moved closer to him, Naruto poked her on the forehead lightly and laughed when he saw her pout.

"Why do you always do that Naruto-kun?" asked Sakura as she rubbed the spot.

"Because it's fun Sakura-chan." He said simply.

It wasn't anything paramount, neither was it said in a striking manner. Just the fact that he understood her and made her laugh was enough for her. Sakura wiped the tears off her face with her hands and sat down beside Hinata. She looked at her only two friends and smiled inwardly.

'I hope everything always stays like this…'

Hinata who had now broken the hug from Sakura, sat in her place neatly. She saw the interaction between the two and wondered if she'll be ever close to anyone that way.

"Hinata-chan, you too will be joining academy, won't you? It would be fun if all of us are together. Meeting different people and making new friends. Won't it?" Sakura asked cheerfully. Naruto and Hinata wondered how she had a complete change in behavior in a split second, but gave no further thoughts to it.

"Hai! I will be joining the shinobi academy this summer. My tou-san's been training me in our family taijutsu and making me do some physical exercises to better prepare me for the shinobi world." Hinata said politely.

Before anyone of them could continue their conversations, Naruto heard multiple shuriken coming towards them from their left and right side at a fast pace. Reacting quickly, he yelled at Hinata and Sakura to jump back immediately and he, himself, jumped a few meters back. Not even a few seconds later, the sandbox where they were previously sitting was bombarded with at least eighteen or twenty shuriken from both directions. There was dust everywhere in the area, which blinded Naruto, Sakura and Hinata momentarily.

As the dust started to clear in the next few seconds, two people jumped out of the ground from behind Sakura and Hinata and grabbed them by their hands and tied them with ninja wire. The two girls gave out a loud shout. But before they could scream any longer, their mouths were stuffed with cloth.

Upon hearing the shout, Naruto immediately turned to look towards Sakura and froze on his spot. There were two identical shinobi behind each of them, holding a kunai to their throats. He looked to his left and right and saw two more shinobi standing there, with their hands resting on their kunai pouch. He sensed another shinobi behind himself and cursed himself for not being able to sense any of them earlier.

A small black mouse under a nearby tree turned to ink and splattered over the ground, sending the necessary information to the caster of the jutsu.

"Don't even think about moving from your position, Namikaze" Naruto heard the voice coming from behind. He slowly and carefully turned behind to look at the person speaking. The shinobi was wearing a black cloak. It was quite dark and it made it hard for Naruto to see his face clearly. However, the shinobi looked rather tall and had a Iwagakure headband.

'Judging from their chakra, they are probably Jounin level and those holding Sakura and Hinata are mostly **Doton Bunshins** seeing as they emerged from the ground and their low chakra reserves.' Naruto thought as his mind thought of a way to get out of this situation.

'Why would Iwagakure shinobi come... Tou-chan.' Naruto realized.

Schooling his features vaguely, he asked the shinobi "What do you want with me?"

"Oh, you know. A lot of people were killed by your dear father during the Third Shinobi War. It would only be fair if his only child was killed by an Iwagakure shinobi. Both Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha had killed a lot of our shinobi in the past. There are a lot of people in our village who would readily give anything to see you dead. Killing you would be justice." Said the man with a twisted smile on his face, as he took out two kunai out from his pouch. He then sunshined in front of his **Doton Bunshins** who were holding Hinata and Sakura in place.

Naruto's heart faltered when he gazed into Hinata's and Sakura's eyes.

 _Fear… Apprehension… Dread…_

So many emotions pouring out of them in abundance. He himself was a little alarmed. But he knew, one wrong move on his side and the two girls would be dead.

'I can't let them…die' Naruto trembled a little at that thought. He couldn't let that happen. Sakura was the only other kid his age he was close friends with. He couldn't lose her. And Hinata…He may not have known Hinata for very long, but Naruto knew the girl had a gentle and kind soul. He didn't know why, but she felt different from the other people he has ever met. Even though they only talked for a little while, he considered her a friend. She did not deserve to die. Not because of him. Not because of some foolish man's crusade to get revenge.

"But if revenge is as you call justice, then that justice breeds yet more revenge, and in the long run it becomes a chain of hatred. Even if you somehow kill me tonight, all it's going to start is another war between our villages." Naruto argued.

Naruto looked back at Hinata and Sakura, and saw them panic as the Iwa shinobi stepped right in front of them.

"Do not hurt them." Naruto asked.

"Is this your first time seeing someone close to you on the verge of death, child?" asked the same shinobi again, as he turned to face the blond boy.

"…" Naruto just averted his eyes and stared at the ground as he clenched his fists.

"Why…? Why are you doing this? What will you gain by killing them?" He asked again. His violet eyes stared into the shinobi's eyes to search for any meaning behind his actions. But all he found was emptiness, anger and hatred.

He could hear the muffled screams from Hinata and Sakura. Yet, he couldn't do anything to help them. Sakura and Hinata kept struggling to free themselves from the holds of the ninja wire. But every time they tried, the wire around their hands would get tightened.

The leader of the team looked at the young Namikaze's eyes and saw a hint of desperation. It reminded him of the time when he saw his parent's and friend's lifeless bodies for the first time. The desperation that makes one cling to the hope that the reality will change any minute. It never did for him and he would make sure that the Namikaze suffered the same fate.

"I see. My name is Ittan. My father was a mere chunin in our village. I will honestly say, he was an average shinobi. But he always took care of me. Gave me everything I needed. My mother was an academy teacher. She… she was a great woman. But do you know what happened to them? Do you know how they died?" asked Ittan softly as he looked up at the dark sky.

"…" Naruto shut his eyes as he couldn't bear to look at Ittan anymore. He had a feeling as to what he was going to say. But he did not want to hear it.

"THEY WERE KILLED BY YOUR BASTARD FATHER, THE KIIROI SENKO." Yelled Ittan.

"THEY WERE BUTCHERED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OF THEIR FRIENDS. SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS WHO WERE SENT TO THE FRONT LINES. THOUSANDS OF OUR SHINOBI WERE KILLED BY HIM."

Again, Naruto didn't have a reply to that. He knew Konohagakure had mainly won the Third Shinobi War because of Iwagakure's defeat against his father. But he never told him in details what he did to make their village come out victorious. Naruto understood now why he did not or rather could not. What type of father would he be? Tell his only child that he butchered thousands of Iwagakure shinobi for the sake of his village? Because of his orders from superiors? Because that was the only way to make the rock shinobi back out from the war?

"So many parents lost their children, men lost their brothers, their sisters, their friends. That day still haunts everyone in our village. Your father shall go through the same pain as them."

"After I'm done killing you, I think I might take the Hyuuga girl back to our village. A pair of Byakugan would be invaluable indeed, and may be of use later on..." Said Ittan sickly, as he traced his index finger along Hinata's neck. Hinata had tears falling from her eyes upon being touched like that. She didn't know what to do. She felt so afraid. Helpless. Even though she had been trained in the shinobi arts, no amount of training could ever prepare a young girl for what the Iwa shinobi was suggesting. She cried in her mind for someone, for anyone to come and help her. Sadly, no one did. Hearing the man talk about killing Naruto followed by Sakura, terrified her. Sakura's body started to tremble badly seeing what the guy was doing to Hinata.

"And once I take your head back to Tsuchikage-sama, you can be sure Konoha's days will be numbered too. The Kiiroi Senko will certainly die by the hands of Tsuchikage-sama." Ittan said coldly.

With each word the Iwa shinobi spoke, Naruto clenched his fists tighter and his detest towards him intensified.

"You asked me what I will gain by killing these girls, did you not? You are a naïve little child, Naruto. You still haven't witnessed the horrors of the shinobi world. We shinobi are killers. If you do not know the same pain as another, you can never truly understand them." Ittan said as he now pressed his kunai a little deeper into Hinata's neck drawing a little blood. Hinata cried in pain as she saw her blood dripping.

"Do you hate me now?" he asked impassively staring at the blond with his arms folded over his chest. This time there was no abhorrence in his voice. A mere question asked for the sake of his satisfaction.

"Many of Konoha shinobi were also killed during the last Shinobi World War by Iwa. Whatever my father did was to protect the village and those he loved. Whatever any Konoha shinobi did during the war was to protect those they love against the enemy. Konoha is not a village made of buildings. Love, Peace, Camaraderie and most of all the Will of Fire that is present in each of us Konoha citizens, these are the very essence of Konoha." Naruto said with closed eyes as he could feel how calm the village was at this very moment. Despite of his current predicament, he always felt a sense of relief knowing his family, his village is safe.

"Ignorant child. There can never be true peace in this cursed ninja world. True peace is nothing but an illusion." Ittan spat out.

The two shinobis standing on either sides of Naruto looked at Ittan warily. They were aware of how devastated he was when he heard the news of his parents and friend's deaths. Even they were saddened on hearing the news. But they never showed such animosity openly, not against innocent children at least. But looking at the blond Namikaze, they did not feel a hint of remorse for what they set out to do. Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha were both hated in the Rock Village. For they knew, both had forsaken their humanity and butchered thousands of people of their village. And knowing that the boy before them was their descendant, made him a threat in their eyes.

"There is no point in over thinking anything young Namikaze. Come with us without too much of trouble and we just might let the pink haired girl go." He said somewhat smugly.

So many different thoughts were racing through Naruto's mind as he looked down at the ground.

 _Why is there so much hatred in the shinobi world?_

 _Can there ever be true peace?_

 _Can shinobi from different villages ever learn to trust one another?_

 _Will the endless killing in the shinobi world ever stop?_

"What will it be Namikaze? I don't have all night. Ten seconds, otherwise the pink one dies here." To prove his point, Ittan pointed his kunai straight at Sakura's jugular vein.

Naruto's face portrayed no emotions as his mind became clouded by those views. His eyes hardened as he resolved himself. He couldn't… no, he can't lose his father. He loved him the most. H…He was his world after all. He looked at Sakura and Hinata briefly and knew, he couldn't lose them either. They were his friends. His only friends… He would do what was needed to protect those he cared about. He could feel his chakra flowing into his eyes and at that moment his eyes glowed red.

Ittan saw the kid move his head up slowly and looked at him straight in the eyes, which made him take a step backward involuntarily. He composed himself right after. Staring into those eyes, Ittan realized he had never seen such cold eyes in one so young before.

 _The Sharingan…_

 _The eye that reflects the heart_

 _It is said that when a wielder of the sharingan Kekkei Genkai experiences powerful emotions regarding a person precious to them, their brain releases a special form of chakra that affects the optic nerves, transforming the eyes into Sharingan._

Ittan felt as if his entire soul was being judged under the gaze of those red eyes.

He could see the love he had for his family. The love he had for his village. Staring into those eyes, he understood one fact. Naruto's love for Konoha is far greater than his hatred for the Leaf.

The two shinobi took a step forward and readied their kunai in their hands.

" **I know what you're thinking Naruto… I won't stop you either. I will be there in case you need any help.** " Kurama said seriously.

'I won't let them or anyone lay a finger on my family.' Naruto thought. He took a deep breath and composed himself for what he knew would be inevitable.

"Let…. Them…. Go. Otherwise, I will… **kill. You. ALL**." Naruto whispered and could feel his chakra riling up.

Hinata and Sakura looked at Naruto with wide eyes, for they had heard what he whispered.

"What was that?" Ittan asked bitterly.

Ittan looked at his two team members from the corner of his eyes and gave them the signal to move towards the blond.

"I SAID… LET THEM GO!" Naruto yelled as he punched the ground with his right hand which was coated with large amounts of chakra. Several cracks started to develop on the ground and travelled outwards from where Naruto's fist connected.

However, before the three shinobi could reach Naruto, the entire training ground shook violently, forming a large crater. Several large and small pieces of rocks were sent flying in different directions and as a result there was a cloud of dust covering the area. The three Iwa shinobi lost their footing on the ground and were thrown backwards due to the impact. The **Doton Bunshins** that were holding Sakura and Hinata were immediately crumbled to dust as several of the rocks crashed into them from random directions. Sakura was already unconscious by this point due the large amounts of chakra that was pouring out of Naruto.

Hinata was able to hold out for a little longer, but eventually succumbed too. Before she did, she looked back at Naruto one last time and whispered. "Naruto..."

Naruto, who was crouched down, quickly found out Sakura and Hinata's position through his sensory abilities. He made a single hand seal and formed a **Kage Bunshin**. The **Kage bunshin** immediately shunshined to their location and got them out of the area promptly, heading straight towards the Hokage Tower.

As the dust started to clear, the three Iwa shinobi could be seen standing on the far edges of the training ground. Blood was dripping from several places on their body. It was a clear indication that they were smashed by several of the rocks that were sent flying around. The three glared at the boy standing before them in pure hatred and couldn't comprehend the fact about how a boy so young had such monstrous strength. They knew their mission was compromised now and proper protocol indicated to abandon the mission.

However, hate is an extremely compelling emotion. Makes one do things their rational mind wouldn't normally do.

The three shinobi took out their kunai and readied themselves. They slowly walked ahead, step by step and soon enough, they were running towards the blond.

Naruto stood in the middle of the destroyed ground. The cold gust of wind hitting his face under the moonlight as a few golden-brown locks of his hair that fell over his right eye moved with the rhythmic movement of the wind. His two tomoe sharingan glowed brightly in the dark. He saw the Iwa shinobi running towards him with kunai placed in their hands. To any normal shinobi, they would be blurs. But his eyes could track their every movement. He picked up a kunai that was lying beside him on the ground and readied himself for what he was about to do.

" **If you don't' want to, you don't have to do it Naruto. I'm sure Minato would have felt your chakra by now.** " Even Kurama felt a little sympathetic towards the blond. Naruto's love for those he considered family was far too great. The boy reminded Kurama a lot of Indra. Both loved their families deeply. Both wanted nothing more than to live peacefully with their loved ones. But this cursed world had changed Indra. The hatred in this world molded the hatred and the darkness in Indra. He would be damned if he let the same fate consume Naruto.

"This is something I must do Kurama. It's true this shinobi world is pinned to a never ending cycle of hatred. It's also true people cannot truly understand each other if they don't understand each other's pain. But if there's darkness in this world, then there's also light. One cannot exist without the other." Naruto whispered, more to himself rather than to Kurama.

Not even a second later, the three Iwa shinobi jumped towards Naruto. Two from the left and one straight ahead of him. Naruto ducked under Ittan's punch swiftly and rolled to his right. Getting up quickly he gave a powerful punch to the man on his ribs. Ittan went crashing to the side and fell unconscious as the sickening sound of his ribs cracking could be heard. However, Naruto made sure not to kill him immediately.

His eyes then landed on the other two shinobi who were now looking at the young blond cautiously. Reacting quickly, Naruto back flipped from his position to avoid a kick that was aimed at his thigh by the second shinobi. Naruto's sharingan quickly picked up the third shinobi jumping in the air and throwing his kunai coated with chakra straight at Naruto's heart with flawless accuracy. Gripping his kunai firmly, Naruto deflected the one that was aimed at his heart. Just as Naruto was about to jump at the third shinobi, he ducked under several shuriken that were thrown at him. Maneuvering around the shuriken with practiced ease, Naruto coated his kunai with **Futon** chakra. Keeping the location of the third shinobi in his mind, who was to his right now, Naruto threw the chakra coated kunai straight towards the second shinobi. Due to the dark, it was slightly difficult for the Iwa shinobi to see around themselves. Before the second shinobi knew what had happened, a kunai passed straight through his head, killing him instantly. As his lifeless body fell on the ground with a resounding thud, the third one immediately stopped in his tracks. He looked to his right and to his horror, his friend was lying there with a hole in his head.

Overcome with anger, he ran towards the boy. Naruto somberly looked at the shinobi who was running straight at him. He slowly touched his cheek and found a few tears to be rolling down. He didn't even know when he had started crying. As the shinobi was mere inches away from him, Naruto swatted away his sloppy attempt to thrust the kunai with his right hand. Sidestepping him quickly, Naruto made a single hand seal.

Behind Naruto, the water in the atmosphere condensed, forming several needle like water bullets. As the shinobi turned to face Naruto, his eyes widened at his imminent death.

" **Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu** (Water release: Water bullet technique)" whispered Naruto as he simply pointed his finger towards the terrified shinobi.

A painful scream was made by the man, his eyes becoming wide as saucers before closing for the last time as he too fell dead on the ground as the water bullets tore through his body in various places, splattering his blood everywhere. The last thing the Iwa shinobi saw was the remorse in the glowing sharingan eyes. A few splashes of blood fell on Naruto, but either he didn't notice them or was too shocked at what he had done.

Naruto slumped down on the ground as he sobbed looking at what he had done. Not even a few minutes later, three people landed near the clearing and their eyes widened at the scene in front of them. Two shinobi lying dead on the ground. One with a hole through his head and another with various holes in several parts of his body with water around him, indicating the usage of **Suiton** jutsu. They looked around carefully and found the third shinobi lying there unconscious.

Their eyes then moved to the form the young boy who was sobbing silently with his eyes closed. The blood dripping from his face and onto the ground, forming a small puddle. Naruto did not even notice when someone laid a hand on his left shoulder gently, and brought him into a tight embrace.

"Shhh… It's alright Naru… Don't worry. I'm here now."

* * *

 **So, thats a wrap for this chapter. I will probably update it either by March 12th or before that.**

 **Next chapter will feature Naruto starting off at the academy. What happens between Minato and Naruto will be shown in a flashback either in next chapter or at an appropriate time later on. Sasuke somewhat will have the same character as canon. He will be jealous of Naruto, as he will remind Sasuke of Itachi. Their relationship will be shown too in the coming chapters. Also, Naruto's sharingan will be special.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story. The reviews will be greatly appreciated. Do send me a PM if you had like to suggest me anything regarding the story and I will be glad to discuss it with you.**

 **Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I had been really lazy past few days and put off much of writing this chapter for later. Hence, the late upload of this chapter.**

 **This chapter talks about Naruto entering the academy, meeting new people and trying to feel normal. He knows due to what he is, he can never be. He wants to feel normal and he found her to be the only one with whom he could share her darkest thoughts. Thoughts his mind started to form after hearing those Iwa shinobi's words and seeing his actions. Despite all of his inner feelings, Naruto has found some good friends. He loves them greatly and would go to any lengths to protect them.**

 **I know I have shown certain scenarios like the kidnapping of Kushina by Iwagakure instead of Kumo in the first chapter, and that is intentional. It plays an important part in the story in Minato's life.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Changes**

* * *

 _ **Four Months Later**_

Almost four months had passed since the intended attack on Naruto and many people's lives had changed undesirably. The populace of Konoha had become aware of the attack and the news had spread swiftly amongst everyone. The revelation that the Hokage's son, Naruto Namikaze, killed two Jounin level shinobi and incapacitated another while saving a civilian girl and the Hyuuga Clan Heiress had become the talk of the town within the village. Several of the villagers who glared at the young boy because of the demon in him changed their views of him upon learning of his actions.

The news of Naruto's actions had spread to other villages as well, despite Minato trying to keep it hidden. The relations between Konoha and Iwagakure had further deteriorated after the event. Konoha had closed off all their trade routes within Amegakure and Kusagakure, the only two viable paths for the rock shinobi to get to Hi no Kuni (Fire Nation). The fact that a village was willing to send their own shinobi to another for the assassination of a Kage's family during these times had caused tension between the villages. The temporary peace which had settled over the Elemental Nations after the Third Shinobi War looked fragile and the slightest of friction between the villages had the possibility of igniting another war.

However, the only solace for Minato among all this disarray was that neither Kirigakure nor Sunagakure were ready for another war, either financially or in terms of their military assets. The rumors of an uprising within Kirigakure had made the other nations steer away from the Water Country and cut off all business trades with them.

Despite appearing moderately well to the other great four nations in the Elemental Nations, Sunagakure had started to struggle in the past few years financially. The Land of Wind's Daimyo started outsourcing missions previously given to Sunagakure to Konoha instead. The Yondaime Kazekage began selling gold dust to try to make up for the loss of funding. Even so, the situation did not look well for Sunagakure.

Sakura and Hinata had been awfully appalled by what they had gone through that night.

Sakura had not stepped out of the house much in the following months. Being a civilian girl, she did not have much knowledge in the obscure events that often took place in the shinobi world. Minato had provided intensive medical care for Sakura, in hopes that she could move past these events. Hinata too had been extremely horrified, despite being taught about such activities from a young age. She had been looked after by Hiashi, Hitomi and by the personal medics of the Hyuuga Clan. Hinata's escorts outside the compound had been doubled for her protection in case of any unforeseen situations.

However, Naruto's life had transformed the most from the experience of that night. Ever since he awakened the sharingan, his demeanor had somewhat changed. He was now more reserved and only showed his normal self to the people he trusted. He still smiled around people and engaged in conversations with to others if he was approached. But the change was visible to those who knew Naruto on a more personal level.

It was different for him to hear tales about the horrors of the shinobi world compared to going through it himself.

 _Taking a life._

But he understood why he had to do it. He had no qualms about what he did. He felt rather content that he could protect his two precious friends. However, he started to develop doubts in his mind about the current shinobi world. He knew from the anecdotes told by his father that the current period was a time of temporary peace. Albeit, one that Naruto believed would last. He wanted it to last. He just wanted to stay happy in his home with his father and talk with his friends.

 _Why couldn't people stay happy with what they have?_

Naruto questioned himself of the enigma on several occasions. All he received was a profound emptiness of thoughts in his mind and dropped the question every time.

" **It's time to go home now Naruto. You have been sitting here for far too long."** Said Kurama. The fox understood the doubts Naruto had in his mind. He, himself, held immense hatred towards humans for how they treated the bijuu and the misguided use of Rikudo's religion. However, he also dreaded what would happen if Naruto ever lost himself in the darkness. The boy held power in himself, far greater than anything comprehensible by human minds.

'I know… Just a few more minutes.' Naruto told his partner as he stared at the moon from the edge of the river. He had always felt a strange connection to the moon. Like it was beckoning him to observe it more carefully.

Lately, he had been visiting the Naka river quite often. Every evening, Naruto would come here after his training and relax in the warm embrace of his ancestors' land. The Naka River, also known as the _River of Southern Joy ,_ is where the Uchiha Clan once lived and prospered.

A couple of months back, the Uchiha Clan had been moved from their ancestral grounds to the far west side of the village, against the wishes of the Yondaime. Danzo had met with the Fire Daimyo without Minato's knowledge and argued to relocate the Uchiha. He had convinced the Daimyo of this course of action with the help of one of Daimyo's grandsons, Senzo.

Ever since Danzo's _unknown_ visit to the Fire Daimyo, Minato had highly restricted his movements within the village, reduced his personal bodyguards and stripped him of his rights as a shinobi. He knew he could not take further actions against Danzo right now, as it may lead to a revolt within the village. Danzo had highly objected to Minato's decisions and had said that he had no hand in it, but was threatened by Minato to be put in a high security prison.

Minato knew he had every reason to put the old war hawk in prison or just kill him, but he was still useful to Konoha. He may be a conniving old man who wished for Konoha to rule over everyone else, but he wished for Konoha's safety. So, Minato had decided to keep him in play for as long as he didn't pose any outward threat to Konoha.

Even though the Uchiha were given the reason as property enhancement within several of the Clan compounds for their relocation, the Uchiha Clan were aware of the fact of why they were relocated. Even almost eight years after the grisly night, they were still suspected behind the Kyubi attack. The fact that the Uchiha can control the bijuu with their sharingan and were nowhere to be seen during the attack did not bode well with their case.

" **You say that every time Naruto. You should go home. You're starting the academy tomorrow... You should stop thinking about those shinobis Naruto...** " Replied the Kyubi as he sighed.

'I know Kurama. I'm trying.' Naruto thought calmly. He got up from the ground and wiped his shirt of the grass that stuck to it.

As he turned around to walk up the steep ground, his eyes landed on Sasuke who was walking all alone. Judging from the minor burnt scratches on his face, Naruto presumed he must have been training to perform the jutsu for the _coming of age_ rite, which every member of the clan must go through to be able to wear the Uchiha Clan symbol on their back.

Sasuke saw Naruto stare at him calmly and it vexed him somewhat. They both were of the same age, but the difference in their skill was far too vast.

 _Flashback Two Months Ago_

 _Sasuke was practicing a Katon Jutsu on the edge of the Naka River. He had been pestering his father to teach him the_ _ **Katon: Gokayaku no Jutsu**_ _for a few weeks now. He knew Itachi could perform the jutsu when he was only six years old. Sasuke had noticed how his father looked at Itachi, like he was the only one that mattered. He had asked Itachi on several occasions to teach him, but he always received the same answer._

' _Forgive me Sasuke. Maybe next time.'_

 _Today, his father had finally agreed to teach him the Katon Jutsu and he was extremely delighted._

" _Sasuke, are you listening?" Fugaku asked sternly._

 _He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice his father speak. He gave a sheepish grin and shook his head._

" _Listen to me intently. I'm not going to repeat myself again." Fugaku said._

 _After receiving a silent nod, Fugaku went on to explain the fundamentals of the basics regarding the simple Katon jutsu._

 _Just as Fugaku was about to show Sasuke the hand seals to perform the jutsu, he felt a presence of chakra behind him. He turned behind to find Naruto standing there with a smile and a note in his hand._

" _Naruto, what brings you here?" Fugaku asked politely._

 _Naruto bowed before the man, to show his respect to the Uchiha Clan leader._

" _Fugaku-sama, tou-chan wishes to speak to you regarding an important matter." Naruto replied as he handed the letter to Fugaku._

 _Taking the letter from the young blonde, Fugaku went through the contents of the letter cautiously. His face became serious as he finished reading it and put the letter inside one of his pockets. He was about to leave when he remembered about Sasuke._

 _He turned back to face his son and saw him ideally standing there. He knew he did not give much attention to Sasuke compared to Itachi and did feel guilty about it. But the situation within the Uchiha Clan was getting grave with every passing minute and most of his time passed in thinking of a way out of the mess the elders in the Clan were suggesting regarding their course of action about their future in the village._

" _Sasuke, do you want to learn the jutsu today?" Fugaku asked._

" _Hai tou-san!" Sasuke said eagerly._

 _Closing his eyes for a second, he turned back to Naruto and asked him to come forward._

" _Naruto, would you help Sasuke in teaching the Katon jutsu. You know which one I'm talking about." Requested Fugaku. Having already felt what the man was feeling, Naruto accepted gladly as he had nothing much to do right now. He figured he could also become friends with Sasuke while they were training together._

" _But, tou-san! You said you would teach me the jutsu! How can he even perform the jutsu? We both are the same age." Sasuke argued childishly. Fugaku sighed as he heard his youngest son's words. While Itachi was calm and collected, Sasuke was more prone to act on his emotions._

 _Feeling slightly irked that his abilities were being doubted, Naruto walked to the edge of the Naka river, gaining Sasuke's and Fugaku's attention. Making the Tora hand seal, he kneaded Katon chakra into his lungs and said "_ _ **Katon: Gokayaku no Jutsu**_ _(Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu)" breathing a large ball of fire towards the lake. Due to the extreme heat of the fireball, much of the water got evaporated in the process._

 _Sasuke's eyes widened on seeing Naruto execute the technique perfectly. He turned to his father and saw the same look on his face he had when he was with Itachi. It made him frown._

 _Satisfied with his work, Naruto turned around to look at Sasuke._

" _I can perform the jutsu perfectly Sasuke. If you wish, I could help you in learning it. We could become friends also, you know." Naruto said kindly. Deciding to let the two kids settle their argument, Fugaku sunshined to the Namikaze Compound to speak with Minato._

 _Sasuke had his arms folded over his chest and a small frown on his face as he saw his father disappear in a swirl of leaves. He had seen several ninjas perform the technique and found it to be intriguing._

" _So, what do you say Sasuke?" Naruto asked again as he extended his right hand forward. Glaring at the blonde, Sasuke puffed his cheeks and walked away, intent on returning to his home and looking for Itachi._

 _Confused by Sasuke's demeanor, Naruto shrugged his shoulders, looked to his left in the corner of the trees once and sunshined to his house._

 _In the corner of the trees stood Itachi as he stared at the spot where Naruto and Sasuke once stood._

' _You didn't have to turn out like this, foolish little brother.'_

 _Flashback End_

The entire Uchiha Clan knew how gifted Naruto was and Sasuke envied him for that. Naruto was the youngest within the Uchiha Clan to have a fully matured sharingan. Sasuke, too, wished to be proficient enough to be noticed. To be something in his brother's eyes, for his father to be proud of him. He glared at Naruto for a few seconds and walked away without a word.

Seeing as he did not have anything else to do, Naruto walked to his home so he could rest for tomorrow.

* * *

 _ **Next Morning**_

The following day Naruto woke up groggily to the ringing of his alarm. Last night after he got home, Naruto had a decent dinner with his father and went off to his room to immerse himself into his books till late night. Naruto had found a little interest in fuinjutsu which led him to learning a bit on the rare shinobi art. He knew he couldn't hope to be as elegant as his father in the art, but he wished to be proficient enough in it.

These were some of the recent interests which Naruto had delved into. He realized that being only strong was not good enough in the shinobi world. He was aware he was excessively strong. But if he wasn't smart enough to understand a situation he was in, where his power alone could not help him out, he would be as useless as a rookie; which ironically, he was, in terms of experience.

Getting up from his bed, he walked to the washroom to fresh himself up. A half an hour later, Naruto exited, after having a bath. He was a little anxious about today. He did not have many friends of his own age group apart from Sakura and Hinata. He briefly wondered how the other children in his class would be. Deciding not to put too much thought into it right now, he dressed himself quickly and went downstairs to meet his father. He wore his usual grey t-shirt and black pants accompanied with his black gloves. He had decided to wear his maroon colored kimono tied with a black sash around his waist today which had the Uchiha Clan symbol at the back.

Getting downstairs, Naruto saw his father sitting on the dining table going through a few papers. He had a cup beside him, which Naruto guessed was coffee. A smile formed on his face seeing his father so busy with his work. Even though he was the Hokage, he always found time for him and never made him feel alone.

"Tou-chan! Hurry up! We have to go to the academy in a few minutes." Naruto said as he walked towards the table and sat beside his father.

Minato smiled watching his son, dressed up for his first day at academy. He knew there wasn't anything much Naruto would learn which he doesn't already know. But that wasn't the main reason he wanted Naruto to join the academy. No matter how powerful one may be, life never feels complete if there's no one to share it with. Minato wanted him to get to know more people. To make friends. He wanted Naruto to feel that there are more people he could always rely on.

"I know, Naru. We'll be going in a few minutes. Eat your breakfast and then we'll walk there." Minato said as he ruffled Naruto's hair playfully.

Nodding his head happily, Naruto filled his bowl with some milk and cereal. Finishing it quickly, he had a banana and a glass of orange juice. He had learned to eat healthy for the past few years, although a few times a week he still went to his favorite Ramen stand in Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen. He would never in his life give up ramen for anything. After the breakfast was done with, Naruto and Minato walked out of the Namikaze Compound to go to the Konoha Academy.

As Naruto and Minato headed to the academy, many people greeted their Yondaime and waved at young Naruto. The young blond was surprised by the sudden change in people's behavior. Ever since he could remember, these very people glared at him and spoke behind his back. And now, the very same villagers smiled at him as if nothing had ever happened. He knew it was mainly because he had saved Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. But it still made him wonder at how shallow can people be.

However, he also understood their feelings. Their inner conflicts. To the civilians of Konohagakure, he is the living reminder of what they lost on that fateful night of the Kyubi attack. The people did not hate him. They despised the Kyubi for taking away their loved ones. But, he wanted to change that. He wanted people to understand the bijuu. That they too are the victims here. The victims of the viscous cycle of _hate and greed_.

Minato felt relieved that the people of Konoha had started to accept Naruto. He knew what Naruto did change him in some ways. There is no greater pain for a parent to watch their child suffer and be helpless about it. In a way, he was thankful to Onohki. He knew it was wrong for him to think that, but it made him glad to see the villagers finally viewing Naruto as a hero. Something which his son was meant to be.

Both the Namikaze's were minutes away from the academy when an aged woman outside of a grocery store greeted Naruto with a warm smile.

"Hello Naruto-sama. It is good to see you this morning with Hokage-sama. Today's the day you're joining the academy, right?" She asked kindly.

"You don't have to call me 'Naruto-sama'. You are older than me and it wouldn't suit you well. Please call me Naruto." Naruto replied with a happy smile as the woman nodded. He could feel that the lady wished for him to do well and it elated him.

"Hai! I will be joining the academy today. I am really excited." Naruto said with a big smile. Minato couldn't help but notice the bright smile that was etched on Naruto's face.

"That's good to hear Naruto-kun. Well good luck and do your best. I will be rooting for you." Said the woman as she waved goodbye with a smile. Naruto smiled and waved back as he held on to his father's hand and continued towards the academy. Things had definitely taken a turn for everyone within the village since the Iwa incident.

 _ **At the Academy**_

Every shinobi village in the Elemental nations houses an academy where young children are sent to prosper into shinobi. In the academy, the prospective students are taught the history of the shinobi world, the fundamentals of shinobi arts such taijutsu- hand to hand combat-, weapons handling- kunai and shuriken throwing- and rudimentary exercises to help control one's chakra. The teachers in the academy hold timely examinations to assess the student's progress and determine whether they are qualified to lead the life of a shinobi.

The Konoha Academy is quite large and is comprised of several buildings which were erected over time since the reign of the Shodai Hokage. The building can be commonly identified by the tree which has a swing in front of it and more so by the giant sign with the kanji for 'Fire' on it. Along with being a school, the academy is also the area where the Hokage's office is located, which is where the missions are dispatched and the day-to-day running of the village takes place.

Soon enough, Naruto and Minato reached the academy and Naruto was becoming anxious each passing second, wondering if Sakura and Hinata too would be joining. He remembered them telling him that they would, but he wasn't sure after the incident involving Iwa shinobis. He wanted them to join so he would at least know someone in the classroom.

Minato felt his son's hand shake slightly and knew what he was feeling. The nervousness of being able to make friends. He chuckled as he too had similar thoughts on his first day.

He knelt and asked turned Naruto so they would be facing each other. He looked him in the eyes warmly and said.

"It's going to be okay Naru. It's your first day in the academy, and it is okay to be nervous. Trust me, even I was." Naruto chuckled as he heard his father's words.

"What's so funny huh?" Minato asked as he eyed him.

"Nothing. It's just hard to find you nervous about anything. You are so brave and confident all the time!" Naruto replied innocently.

"You have no idea how many times I have been nervous in my life Naru. Now come on, get going. You don't want to be late on your first day now, do you?" Minato said as he let out a small laugh, seeing Naruto's slight panicked reaction.

Naruto nodded and quickly ran off inside the academy building as he waved goodbye to his father. Minato smiled as he watched his son go off inside the building.

'If only you could see him now Kushina. Our son has grown so much.' Minato thought. He waited outside the building for few more minutes and then disappeared to the Hokage's office using the Hiraishin seal placed on the desk.

As Naruto knocked and walked into the room he was assigned, he found a man who he guessed was his teacher to be standing near his desk and many students sitting on his right side staring at him. The classroom was large and had high ceilings. It even had a blackboard facing opposite to the students' desk and a podium in front of it. The podium was situated in a position such that the teacher could view everyone in the class at once.

Naruto's sharp eyes scanned though the students quickly and found Sakura to be sitting on the second row and Hinata to be sitting in the last one. He smiled inwardly.

"Who might you be?" asked the man.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze. I'm also a student who entered the academy this year." Naruto said politely. The man stared at the boy impassively for a few seconds, but smiled the very next.

Naruto could hear many of the students whispering in their seats about him and the fact that the Hokage's son is going to be studying in their class.

"Namikaze!?"

"Yondaime Hokage's son!?"

"I heard he is really strong...!"

"He looks so good… His long hair and whisker marks make him look adorable!" muttered some of the girls.

Naruto didn't know what to think about those, so he waited for the man to say something.

"I'm Iruka Umino. I will be your teacher for the next four years. You may take any free seat available Naruto." Iruka said. Iruka was a man of average height and build. He had black hair that he kept in a ponytail and a horizontal scar across his nose. He wore the standard chunin outfit of Konoha with a blue headband tied around his forehead. He knew about the Kyubi being sealed into the Hokage's son and despised the fox for killing his parents and in a way, held Naruto responsible for it too. However, his beliefs about the child began to change when he heard about the Hokage's son killing two jounins and saving a civilian girl along with the Hyuuga Clan heiress. He had decided to keep his views on the boy unbiased until he saw him with his own eyes.

Naruto nodded his head as he turned to his right to look for any empty seats. He saw many of the girls looking at him strangely and felt slightly uneasy. He quickly found an empty seat on the far right in the last row and quickly walked up there and took his seat.

Looking to his right, Naruto found a strange boy. He had short black hair and black eyes in contrast to his translucent looking pale skin. His face showed no signs of emotion and he looked to be staring at Iruka blankly. Getting a feel of his chakra, Naruto was shocked, as it felt to be troubled. Deep down within the boy, Naruto felt the boy held a lot of pain.

"I'm Naruto." Said the blond as he extended his hand to the boy. The boy in question looked at Naruto for a good while impassively. He was surprised by Naruto's actions and wondered why the Hokage's son would want anything to do with him. However, none of that surprise was displayed on his face. It was as plain as a blank canvas.

"Sai…" said the boy as he held Naruto's hand. Naruto smiled faintly at the thought of making new friend.

Seeing as everyone had taken their seats, Iruka viewed everyone in his class with a critical eye. 'This would be first time that so many clan heirs are present in one class. Not to mention the clan heirs of the Uchiha, Hyuuga and Namikaze Clans. The three most influential clans within Konoha. This will be an interesting class.' Iruka thought.

"Alright class, as you already know, my name is Iruka Umino. You may call me Iruka-sensei. I will be your teacher for the next four years. Another teacher, Mizuki, will also be assisting me with teaching you. Since today's only our first class, we will begin with some history lessons and then move on to taijutsu lessons outside. After that, we will begin with theory on chakra." Iruka announced. So, he began with the history of Konohagakure No Sato, accounting the tales of Shodai Hokage and how the village was formed.

Even though Naruto knew this part extremely well, he listened to it intently. Some of the students groaned at the fact of learning history lessons, claiming it to be uncool. Again, Naruto seemed confused at other students' behavior. He had always been taught that history was an important part for any shinobi to know and he loved the subject. It was also a significant task for a shinobi to know the history of any area that they would be travelling to for their missions.

After an hour had passed, Naruto looked around the class and found many of the student's to be uninterested in what Iruka was saying. He saw a boy with pineapple shaped hair to be sleeping, while another chubby boy was eating a bag of chips without a care in the world. He found the sight to be hilarious and had to hold in his laughter. He looked at Sakura, who was sitting next to a platinum blond haired girl. Hinata was sitting next to a boy with a puppy on his head. Judging by her face, Naruto guessed that Hinata, too, knew the topic Iruka was talking about currently. His eyes finally landed on Sasuke, who was sitting in the same row as him, a few seats below him. He couldn't see his face, but he was sure he had a little scowl on his face.

After the theory about the history of Shodai Hokage had ended, Iruka ordered everyone to form a que and follow him outside to the training ground. Naruto was personally excited now, as it was time for the taijutsu exercises and he wanted to see how everyone faired in hand to hand combat. He knew he was miles ahead of the students in his class in taijutsu, but that did not mean the others had no knowledge in this art.

As everyone assembled outside, Iruka called out everyone's name again and Naruto was surprised to find several of the children belonging to major clans in Konoha.

He saw a group of few students standing in a group at the side and wondered if they all knew each other before starting at the academy. He looked at Sai who was standing beside him and thought of coming with him to talk to others. But looking at his blank expression, he decided not to.

He went over to them and said "Hello, I'm Naruto."

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka! And this is my ninken Akamaru!" Kiba said enthusiastically and Akamaru gave a small bark. Kiba had feral looking features which could be accounted by his messy brown hair, sharp looking canines and the distinctive red fang markings similar to every Inuzuka Clan member on each of his cheek.

Shikamaru was lazily looking at the sky when he noticed Naruto looking at him. He found all this introduction stuff to be quite troublesome but knew that he had to do it. Similar to most members of the Nara Clan, Shikamaru was born with an exceptional mind. Despite being portrayed as lazy, he noticed and understood things which could often be missed by normal eyes or minds. He had narrow brown eyes and a typical expression which indicated that he was bored. He had shoulder length black hair, which he kept tied in a ponytail.

"Shikamaru Nara. It's nice to meet you." Shikamaru said with a yawn, rather lazily. This made Naruto wonder if the boy was interested in anything.

"I'm Choji Akimichi." Naruto heard the chubby boy say who was continuously munching on his chips. Like any other Akimichi, Choji had a rotund build and markings on his cheeks in the form of swirls. He had spiky brown hair that sticks upwards.

"Shino Aburame." Said Shino quietly. Sporting the same look as the rest of his clan, Shino wore dark sunglasses and a sea green jacket with high upturned collar. He was fair skinned and almost as tall as Naruto, who was the tallest among their class. He had dark, bushy brown hair, however many of his friends wondered what his eyes looked like since he always wore those sunglasses.

"It's really nice to meet you. I'm just so surprised that there are so many clan heirs in our class." Naruto said intending the conversation to go ahead.

"How do you know we are all clan heirs?" Shikamaru asked curiously as they never brought it up.

"I remember my tou-chan telling me about the class a bit few days before the academy started. I also read a lot about the history of Konohagakure in which the prominent Clans of this village was a main topic. Like the Nara Clan you come from Shikamaru, it's known for producing geniuses and the most well known in your clan being your father, Shikaku Nara, the current Jounin Commander. Then Choji's clan is well known for their immense physical strength with their expansion jutsu and in their business for owning a few restaurants in Konoha. Kiba belongs to the Inuzuka Clan, known for their tracking ability and amazing taijutsu skills. They are also known for their partnership with their dogs, similar to the Aburame clan with their bugs, who specialize in utilizing bugs in almost all of their jutsu. The Aburames are known to be logical people and are good in formulating plans.

At the end of Naruto's explanations all the four people were staring at Naruto with stupefied expressions. However, they were also glad in respect to how Naruto had described their Clans. Choji was happy that Naruto didn't talk about his size or weight, Kiba was glad that Naruto was aware of how great the Inuzukas were and Shino gave a quiet nod of agreement.

While Naruto was talking to Kiba, Choji and Shino about how they knew each other, what sort of training they did, Shikamaru keenly observed the young Namikaze. Based on what he had seen of Naruto today and what he had heard of him in the past, he found him to be an enigma. He had heard his mother talk to other people about how the Hokage's son had killed two Jounin level shinobi and rescued the Hyuuga Clan heiress and a civilian. It was hard for him to believe it at that time, but looking at the way Naruto held himself and always remained aware of his surroundings, he could see the truth in it.

"Everyone... Listen carefully." Iruka called gaining the student's attention.

"I will call out two students names, and they will have a taijutsu match for two minutes to let me observe where everyone stands." Iruka said.

"Akane and…." Iruka started.

* * *

 _ **Two years and two months Later**_

It had been a little over two years since Naruto had started his new life. The life of meeting new friends, befriending them, doing what children his age is supposed to do and beginning his journey to become an actual shinobi for the Konoha village. In the past few years, Naruto had become good friends with Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Shino.

Kiba talked the most in the group and Naruto found him to be a fun person to hang out with. Shikamaru and Choji were mostly seen together and Naruto also tried out Shikamaru's ritualistic habit of watching clouds, which he found to be quite relaxing. Even though Shino did not speak much, Naruto always found a way to involve the quiet boy in group talks and he had come to like the bug user. All in all, Naruto got along with these four boys the most. He also met Ino Yamanaka, clan heiress of the Yamanaka Clan, who was childhood friends with Shikamaru and Choji. He found her to be a bit weird as she would often look for different excuses to talk to Sasuke. And being the oblivious girl that she was like many other girls in the class, she found Sasuke's uncaring attitude to be cool and mysterious.

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura had gotten closer to each other in the past year. They often met outside of the academy and trained with each other along with studying and doing their homework together. They had spoken about how their life had changed and how their beliefs about the shinobi world altered after that incident and there were times when both Naruto and Hinata had to console Sakura as she still had terrifying nightmares of that night at times. Naruto and Hinata especially had gotten to know each other a lot better. Ever since the incident with the Iwa shinobi, the Hyuuga Clan had come to respect Naruto immensely. Both Minato and Naruto had been invited for dinner to the Hyuuga's Main House on several occasions. During class, Naruto mostly sat with his two best friends which seemed to draw the glares from several other girls in the class, much to Naruto's confusion. Despite their close relationship with one another, Sakura had this uncomfortable feeling whenever she saw Naruto and Hinata so close. She didn't know what it was and didn't want to find out at the prospect of it hurting her or making her lose her friendship with Naruto and Hinata.

When Naruto talked to his father about a few girls staring at him strangely, Minato laughed and ruffled his son's hair playfully while saying "This is not something that even you can avoid Naru…"

And true to his father's words, Naruto often sensed many of the girls following him secretly and at times chasing after him openly. Naruto had come across the bane of academy, _the fangirls._

Scholastically, Naruto's time in the shinobi academy was a breeze. He had been ranked as the top student always. Whether be it in written tests, taijutsu, ninjutsu, weapons throwing or genjutsu. Sasuke who was ranked second continuously, still seemed to hold a grudge against Naruto for reasons unknown to the blond.

However, not everything was as it seemed. Even though Naruto liked the academy, as it was where he was able to spend more time with his friends, he disliked the academy's training. The things which the students were being taught to be genin would never help them out to survive in the shinobi world. However, the worst part till now which he discovered were the fangirls.

Many of the girls in the class were obsessed with boys and believed in mythological tales where they would be saved by their lovers. Meanwhile there were many civilian boys who considered themselves to be good in everything despite the actuality.

He spoke to his father regarding the matter and was told the stress for prospective genin in the academy was reduced mainly since there was a time of temporary peace between the nations earlier. But Minato too had known the curriculum in the academy was not up to the mark. Furthermore, with their relations with Iwagakure completely cut off, there was a lot of uncertainty among different villages in the future. Thus, he had decided to implement certain changes from year three onwards in the academy.

Snapping those thoughts out of his mind, Naruto got out of his clothes and went to washroom to get a bath. He came out about a minute later and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes morphed into blood red eyes, portraying the three tomoes in it and soon enough, his eyes turned back to their original violet color.

Today marked the last class of the second year in the academy and held a written test and a taijutsu match between students as an examination.

Naruto was so engrossed in thoughts about how the last year passed so quickly that he realized he was going to be late for the exam. He quickly put on his clothes and sunshined in front of the academy. He went towards his class and knocked on the door.

"Come in" Iruka said from inside the class.

Naruto entered the class and saw his teacher staring at him intently. At first, he was indifferent towards Naruto but after time, he came to see Naruto as more than just the Kyubi. After watching Naruto interact with his friends in the class and talking to him, Iruka found him to be a very kind hearted boy who loved his friends. After that, he opened up to Naruto and now they were good friends or siblings if one could say.

"Naruto why are you fifteen minutes late for class?" questioned Iruka sternly. Even though he considered Naruto to be someone special to himself, he never showed any favoritism to any one student.

"Sorry Iruka sensei, I was training last night till late and woke up late today due to that. It won't happen again." Naruto answered honestly. Iruka sighed and told him to take his seat.

Nodding his head, Naruto found an empty seat between Hinata and Kiba.

"Morning Naruto-kun." Hinata greeted Naruto with a smile. Naruto smiled as he inhaled the smell of lavender from her. He knew Hinata usually sat with her mother in her garden and picked flowers at times. And he loved that smell.

"Morning Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he smiled back. Looking at Kiba, who was sleeping soundly beside him, Naruto smirked.

Discreetly making a single hand seal, a small amount of water condensed in the palm of his other hand. Making sure no one saw him other than Hinata, he splashed it on Kiba's face. Kiba woke up with a shriek and looked around frantically.

"Good, you're finally awake Kiba." Naruto said as he laughed. Hinata giggled softly, seeing Kiba's confused voice.

"What the hell Naruto, why did you do that?" Kiba asked in a sleepy voice.

"We have an exam today Kiba, if I hadn't woken you up, you would have slept through it." Naruto replied as he laughed. Kiba and Naruto intently stared at each other for a few seconds and suddenly started laughing at the situation.

"KIBA, NARUTO! I told you so many times to keep your voices down!" Iruka yelled using his patented Big Head Jutsu. Both the boys immediately shut up upon hearing Iruka's voice and sat down without muttering another single word.

During all this commotion, Shikamaru, who was sleeping with his head rested on his hands woke up and looked around in confusion. Unfortunately, Iruka looked at Shikamaru at the same time and a tick mark formed on the academy teacher's face.

"Shikamaru, are you going to sleep through the exam too?" Iruka asked, slightly annoyed.

"Troublesome, I was not sleeping Iruka sensei." Said Shikamaru but yawned immediately after saying that. The class laughed at Shikamaru's reaction and Iruka sighed, looking at his class. Naruto looked around the classroom in amusement and could feel how eased everyone felt.

These were the moments he enjoyed, the moments he cherished with his friends. To see them all happy and relaxed. This is what kept his mind away from the deed he had done a few years back.

The only people in the room who were not interested in the current situation were Sasuke and Sai. Naruto had tried to talk to Sasuke in the past but the black-haired boy wasn't interested. He considered himself greater than the others because he considered himself a true Uchiha and looked down on everyone else. The way Sasuke acted, it gave others the impression that he was only ever interested in gaining more power and would do it through any means necessary.

' _Oh, the irony about considering himself a true Uchiha' Naruto thought on several occasions._

After a long and tiresome speech from Iruka, the exam had started. Iruka and his assistant Mizuki began handing out the written exams.

Mizuki was a man of average height and build, similar to Iruka. He had white, neck length hair and wore the standard outfit of Konoha. He wore a blue colored headband and wore his forehead protector in a bandana style around his head.

Naruto had always been able to sense the feeling of hatred coming off Mizuki. He realized it was because of the Kyubi. Naruto never talked about this to his father or anyone else since he believed it was just due to the Kyubi. As Mizuki came to Naruto's desk to hand him the paper, he glared at him for a few seconds and proceeded to the next students. Mizuki knew he could not do anything to Naruto. With his father being the Hokage, if he ever got caught, it would be the end for him. Still, it irked him that he could not get his hands on the damned Kyubi boy.

After a simple written exam that Naruto was sure he would ace smoothly, it was time for the practical exam which consisted of taijutsu spar between two students to show their improvement.

As all the students assembled outside, Iruka and Mizuki stepped in front of them.

"Alright class, now we are going to have a taijutsu spar between students. The spar will continue until one opponent gives up or is knocked out. Any questions?" asked Iruka and was glad when everyone understood it.

The first few matches were between a bunch a civilian kids and Naruto sighed as he saw their taijutsu abilities. He wondered how they even reached the second year with such poor skills. It was more like street fighting.

The fifth match was between Sai and another civilian. The match went on for a few minutes with Sai eventually winning it by managing to knock out his opponent out of the ring. However, there was something which Naruto had noticed every time in Sai's matches. He pretended to lower his skills while fighting at the academy. It was as if he was hiding his true ability. Naruto always felt something strange about the boy, but couldn't ascertain it properly.

The next match was between Kiba and Shino. Naruto knew it would be a close match as both were moderately adept in taijutsu. However, he guessed Kiba would come out victorious due to his clan's edge in taijutsu. While the Inuzuka clan focused on taijutsu primarily, the Aburame Clan were prone to make use of ninjutsu with the help of their bugs. Naruto's assumptions were proven to be correct as a few minutes into the match, Shino showed signs of fatigue and Kiba slipped into his defense after performing a feint left hook and knocked him out a sharp elbow to his chest.

"Alright, next match is between Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka." Announced Iruka.

After hearing the announcement, Ino seemed confident that she would win it easily. Ino knew that Sakura was mainly book smart and had good chakra control but lacked severely in taijutsu. Oh, how wrong she would be…

"Watch me Sasuke-kun!" Ino squealed as she went inside the ring within which the students are supposed to fight.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who seemed to be a bit worried. He walked to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You can do this Sakura-chan. You have worked hard, I know. I believe in you." Naruto whispered to her calmly.

Sakura's eyes widened upon hearing him say those words and her face seemed to gain a bit more confidence. Naruto smiled seeing her face and gave her a thumbs up.

As both Sakura and Ino got into the ring, Iruka signaled for the start of the match. Ino rushed towards Sakura blindly and attempted to give a kick to her right rib. Just as she was about to kick her, Sakura rolled to her left, avoiding the kick easily. Ino, who's leg was still in the air, was surprised by Sakura's maneuver, and almost lost her balance. Seeing Ino's surprise, Sakura coated her hand with a slight amount of chakra and rushed at Ino with impressive speed for an academy student. She then punched Ino right on her left cheek, which made the platinum blond haired girl fall out of the ring.

This was the result of hard work which Sakura had put in improving herself in the past two years. After being released from school, she often trained with Naruto and Hinata and learned a lot from them. Naruto and Hinata had helped Sakura in improving her chakra control. Sakura, surprisingly was a natural in controlling her chakra. She had learned the tree walking exercise in a single day and was able to walk up and down the tree with ease now. Even though the water walking exercise took some time for her, she was able to master it eventually.

The entire crowd of students were shocked at seeing Sakura win the match with ease. Most of the time Sakura had a taijutsu spar with someone, she lacked confidence and would make a mistake or two. But she showed a flawless performance today.

"Way to go Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered. Sakura blushed slightly as she heard Naruto cheer for him but hid it well.

"That was great Sakura!" yelled Kiba with Akamaru barking in agreement.

Iruka smiled at seeing his student improve dramatically and knew who it was that helped her.

After Ino had been moved off the field and taken to the side, Iruka had resumed the matches.

The next match was between Hinata and another civilian girl. Naruto, who was standing next to her, squeezed Hinata's hand in a gentle manner discreetly. The two had a strange relationship. Naruto had a developed a strong trust in her. It was strange for him too. From the moment he had seen her, she seemed different to him. She was kind and gentle while speaking while fierce and beautiful in a spar. They did not speak much, but always knew what the other was thinking. Naruto shared things with her which he never shared with anyone. Not even his own father. Hinata smiled in response and went ahead for her match. The fight was completely one sided, as Hinata had won the match with a few precise strikes of Juken to the civilian girl's body.

The next match between Shikamaru and Choji was quite amusing for everyone. As soon as the two entered the ring, Shikamaru gave up after not moving for a couple of minutes, saying it was too troublesome to fight his best friend. Both were given a lecture by Iruka which went on for minutes and many students snickered, watching the two.

"Today's last match will be between Naruto Namikaze and Sasuke Uchiha." Said Iruka.

Almost everyone knew how the match would span out. Despite that, several of the girls, who believed themselves to be in love with Sasuke, cheered loudly for him.

"Oi Naruto, beat that teme's ass." Said Kiba.

"Good luck, Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly as she looked at him. She knew he would win. He always wins. To her, he was invincible. She knew how strong he was, she was aware of his darkest thoughts, secrets which children their age were not aware of and she was glad he trusted her enough to share so much about him to her. In the past two years, the two had found several uncanny similarities with each other. The two often spent time together after training or studying with Sakura which normally consisted of either sitting under a tree quietly or Naruto taking her to sit on the edge of Naka River. Unknowingly, they both enjoyed each other's presence.

Shikamaru and Shino just nodded their head showing their support for Naruto. Both were smarter than most of the students in class and were aware Naruto was much, much more powerful than he let on in the academy.

Naruto and Sasuke stood in front of each other waiting for Iruka to signal the start of the match. Naruto seemed to be perfectly calm and relaxed while Sasuke seemed confident in himself. In the past two years, Sasuke had trained himself to the ground in many aspects of the shinobi arts- taijutsu, ninjutsu, shurikenjutsu and genjutsu. He was even able to unlock his sharingan and had progressed it to the second level. He believed he could beat Naruto with the amount of work he had done.

Iruka gave the signal to start the match, but none of them moved from their positions. While Sasuke got into the stance of the Uchiha interceptor fist and activated his sharingan, Naruto showed no signs of being surprised or intimidated. Meanwhile, several students in the arena gasped seeing Sasuke's two tomoe sharingan.

Naruto showed no reaction to any of the whispers in the crowd or the fact that Sasuke was currently glaring at him. His tou-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan and Kakashi had taught him that the best way to win a fight is to make sure you remain completely focused on your opponent and keep your emotions in check. Naruto already knew about Sasuke's sharingan from Itachi during one of their training sessions. He knew Sasuke was strong now, but his arrogance was his weakest point and that is just what he planned on exploiting.

A few more minutes had passed and the two had yet to move.

"What's wrong dobe? Afraid to lose in front of your loser friends? You should stop hanging out with such people. You don't deserve to be an Uchiha." mocked Sasuke in hopes of getting a reaction from the blonde.

Naruto's eyes hardened on hearing Sasuke berate his friends. If there was one thing which Naruto valued most, it was his friends. He could tolerate Sasuke's arrogant behavior, but putting down his friends was not something he could tolerate.

'You shouldn't have said that Sasuke…' thought Naruto.

Before anyone could blink, Naruto disappeared from everyone's sight. Sasuke's eyes widened and he frantically looked around for him. However, the next thing Sasuke knew, he was elbowed on his left shoulder which made him fall on the ground harshly. As he fell on the ground, he clutched his shoulder as the pain became too much for him.

Naruto then picked him up by the collar and then punched him with good amount of strength. Enough to dislocate his jaw.

Almost everyone watching the fight were stunned on seeing this side of Naruto. They had never seen the blonde defeat someone with this much cruelty.

"Naruto! What do you think you are doing!? Stop cheating!" yelled Ino. Everyone else just wondered what was wrong in that brain of hers.

"Shut up." Naruto said coldly as he turned to face Ino. Gone were the warm violet eyes and in its place, were the blood red sharingan with three tomoes. Ino immediately shut up hearing Naruto's tone, which sent shivers down her spine. Naruto wasn't even leaking killing intent. But just one look in his eyes made her freeze in her spot. Hinata, who was quietly standing on the side, looked sadly at Naruto. She knew how close he considered his friends to be and the look in his eyes reflected that. Even if others couldn't read him properly, she understood him.

"Don't ignore me, dammit!" yelled Sasuke as he got up weakly. He ran towards Naruto, ignoring the overwhelming pain in shoulder and jaw.

Naruto swatted away his attempt at a weak punch easily and gave him a right hook to his jaw, which again sent him skidding a few feet back.

"Is that all?" asked Naruto, angry. Sasuke got up again on shaky legs and stared at the blond furiously all the while having a singular thought.

 _Why am I so weak?_

"All this anger, it's not good for you Sasuke. You consider yourself above others just because you are an Uchiha. You have no idea of my true abilities. You don't know the meaning of true strength and if you don't change your way of thinking, you will never become strong." Said Naruto darkly.

"Okay! That's enough. The match is over!" shouted Iruka, seeing that the situation was getting out of hand. Even he was shocked by seeing this side of Naruto. But he reminded himself that Naruto was a kind and loving child.

Enraged by what Naruto had said, Sasuke mustered all his strength to get up and ran at Naruto again. However, before he could even reach him, Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes with his sharingan spinning and almost immediately, Sasuke fell on the ground with a thud.

Naruto remained in his position as he looked at his brethren with a sad expression. As Iruka came and picked up Sasuke, he heard Naruto apologizing to him. Looking into Naruto's eyes, Iruka knew it was the same kind hearted blond boy he knew. He dismissed the class for today as all the tests were done.

Everyone saw Naruto storm out of the training grounds. Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Shino and Sakura were about to follow Naruto, when Hinata stepped in front of them.

"Is it okay if I go talk to him first? I have a feeling he will listen to me." Hinata said kindly. Almost everyone in the group nodded, understanding that Hinata and Naruto were close to each other.

As Hinata walked out to look for Naruto, Sakura somberly looked at her retreating figure, wishing if it could have been her in Hinata's place.

Naruto immediately walked out of the academy, so that he could spend some time alone after his outburst. This was something which happened with Naruto quite often. He had realized he had a lot of darkness in him. Kurama had told him about it. He considered the fox to be his best friend among everyone else, because there was absolutely nothing the two did not know about each other. He still remembered Kurama's words.

 _ **The greater your love becomes, the stronger will be your hatred. You must control your hatred Naruto.**_

He walked a few distances away from the academy when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He already knew who it was. He knew her chakra signature perfectly. He turned around and did the only thing he could at this moment.

He hugged her tightly.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I will probably upload the next chapter between March 24 or March 26, 2017.**

 **I hope to next chapter quite lengthy so that I could wrap up the academy phase of Naruto in it. Some people might wonder about made Naruto and Hinata get close to each other. As I'm giving small flashbacks in each chapter, next chapter onwards there will be certain flashbacks of moments between Naruto and Hinata. After the two year time skip in Academy, Naruto is 10 years old. Next chapter, I plan to do two one year time skips. As I said in previous chapters, after Naruto turns 11, he will pick up kenjutsu. I wanted to give Naruto time to grow in height in order for him to wield a Katana properly. He will mostly be taught kenjutsu by Kakashi and Itachi. (Itachi during his time in ANBU wielded a tanto.) So during those times, flashbacks of Naruto's earlier moments with Itachi will be shown.**

 **I apologize if some feel I may be rushing into it, but I wanted to get over with Naruto's early childhood part and academy quickly and did not want to extend it too long. I assure, the major moments in Naruto's life will be shown at appropriate times later on.**

 **I do hope, you all come to like this chapter. Please Follow, Favorite and Review the story. Many of the reviews help me understand where I can improve and it's really helpful.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I really wanted to get done with this arc of the story, involving the Uchiha Massacre and showing glimpses of his time in the academy. Well, this arc will be mostly over by next chapter.**

 **In this chapter, I have shown as to how Hinata and Naruto came close to together. How Naruto feels about Hinata and the intricate relationship between the two. This chapter also begins portraying the countdown to the Uchiha Massacre which will take place. There was a comment which mentioned how was it that Naruto was not able to sense the Iwa shinobis when they attacked him. Well, the senseing ability of Naruto works only when he wants it work. More specifically, in that chapter I had mentioned there were no Iwagakure sightings near the Fire Nation border for almost a year. Naruto is still a child and does not have much experience. So, he had let his guard down thinking it was safe now compared to as it was a year back. Also, in this chapter, as the Hokage Minato will have to make certain tough choices. Naruto will not always agree with Minato and there could be a possibility of a rift forming between the two as a result. But as the story goes on, Naruto will understand the decisions made his father and will realize it was childish and naive of him to be angry at him. No relationship is without ups and downs. Minato's and Naruto's will also have, so will Naruto and Hinata's. But that will be later.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway lets continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: An Uchiha's love**

* * *

The soft and gentle touch of her hand.

That was all he could feel as he hugged her. As he rested his head on her shoulder, his eyes closed, all he could feel was the gentle strokes of her hand on his hair.

He didn't know how long had passed since they were standing in this position. But it did not matter to either one of them. Naruto liked this comforting feeling and Hinata liked being near him.

She felt him shake lightly and held on to him more firmly. She may not know what exactly was going through Naruto's mind, but she understood him whenever she looked into his eyes. His unspoken need to have someone close to him when he's feeling down.

A few seconds passed and Naruto lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. Those white eyes which he always found to be enchanting. He could see the warmth and care in them. The understanding which her eyes held. It made him feel calm. It made him nostalgic about the time when he shared his darkest secret with her and she still accepted him.

 _Flashback Two Years ago_

 _The late evening was beautiful with its borderless flow clarity: the vast, seemingly empty sky stretched out far and wide. It had a multitudinous amount of flat clouds that were spread out to the horizon, waiting to shower the earth._

 _A pair of violet eyes were intently watching the darkened hue of the sky as the sun settled. Several thoughts were flowing through his head as his eyes searched for answers beyond the horizon._

 _Why do shinobi kill each other?_

 _What feeling do people obtain in revenge?_

 _It was a simple, yet intricate, notion in Naruto's mind. He understood that shinobi kill to protect someone close to them. But he often wondered, was killing the only answer? Was peace such a materialistic and hollow term that people abandon the very idea of it for their own desires?_

 _He felt Hinata's presence as she walked towards him but did not bother to move from his place. They were in a training ground beside the Hokage Monument. It had been a few days ever since Naruto, Hinata and Sakura had started training together and had decided to meet few days a week so that they could train and study together regularly._

 _Sakura had left a few minutes earlier since it was getting late, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in the training ground._

 _Hinata silently observed Naruto as he stared up at the sky. He intrigued her greatly. The night they were attacked by the Iwa shinobi, she was astounded by the potency of chakra she felt from him. She had never felt anything like that before. She was sure the entire village had felt it. The look she saw in his eyes that night, she knew she would never forget it. She never really found the right way to describe it, but there was a sense of looming darkness in him that she felt. Despite that, he was probably the kindest person she knew._

 _Whenever she thought she had him figured out, she would find out something new that would baffle her._

 _Naruto Namikaze was an enigma she wanted to solve._

 _She sat beside him and turned her eyes towards the sky. She presumed it would rain, looking at the clouds. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while as a light breeze began to blow over the area._

" _What is your dream Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Startled by the sudden question, Hinata looked at the blond curiously._

" _Dream? I never really thought about it till now…" Hinata replied. As she reflected over the question, images of her parents, her baby sister, Hanabi, and that of her friend Sakura and even… Naruto came to mind. To always see them smiling and safe. She averted her eyes from him with a small blush, wondering when she had started to consider him to be so close to her._

" _I guess to always see my family and friends smiling. I never want to lose them." Hinata said in a whisper._

 _Again, Naruto couldn't help but be awestruck by how innocent she looked right now. The dream of a naïve girl who believed there would be peace someday, that the senseless killing would stop just because a few wish it._

" _This shinobi world we live in, has no order in it. If it continues to go forward the way it is, there would be nothing but death… There is so much hatred in this world. It's not easy to let go of that hatred…" Naruto muttered as he continued to stare at the sky._

' _ **Naruto…**_ _' Kurama thought, wary of Naruto's words._

 _Even though it was said in a very low voice, Hinata had heard each word. She stared at Naruto in disbelief. She did not know what made him think like that and it scared her slightly. But looking at the sad expression on his face made her wonder what he had gone through to make him think this way. She knew Naruto was not well liked in the village. In their earlier years, she had heard many times some civilians call him by names which no child should ever be called. It made her wonder, was it because of his lineage? No, it couldn't be. The Yondaime was loved by everyone in the village. Then, why Naruto? Was it because of the endless amount of malicious chakra she often saw in him? The chakra that was different than his own?_

" _Why do you say that, Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata, moving from her place and sitting right in front of the blond._

 _Naruto stumbled a bit back as he was surprised by how close they were sitting so suddenly. As it started to drizzle, some of the rain drops fell on Naruto, making a few locks of his hair stick to his face. Hinata slowly moved closer to him and moved his hair so that she could see his face._

" _You can tell me Naruto-kun. You can trust me." Hinata said gently._

 _The look in her eyes. He had never seen it before. The warmth and calmness she was radiating, it was comforting and mesmerizing, Naruto thought. He could feel how concerned she was. For the first time in his life, Naruto was confused about what he should do._

" _I… I… well… I don't know…" Naruto whispered._

 _As he averted his eyes from her, the very next second he felt a soft hand on his cheek and found Hinata staring at him with such affection._

" _You know, my Kaa-san always tells me to understand people when they are in trouble. Once you understand them, it becomes easier to get to know them. I… I want to know you better, Naruto-kun. I know you are different from other people." Hinata said affectionately._

 _Naruto stared at her, hypnotized by her words. He never had a mother so he never had someone talk to him with such gentleness. His father tried to fill the role of his mother in his early childhood but Naruto understood it pained Minato too as well sometimes. He felt the love his father had for his mother. It was the most beautiful emotion he had ever felt from anyone. Despite the loss Minato suffered, he always did his best to make sure Naruto grew up not feeling alone._

 _Naruto didn't know what compelled him to do it. Maybe it was the look in her eyes? The gentleness with which she spoke? Taking a leap of faith, Naruto gazed into her eyes. Hinata was surprised when Naruto's eyes morphed into the sharingan and started spinning slowly. She felt hypnotized looking into those eyes and the very next moment, she found herself standing in a gigantic hall._

 _Turning around, she found Naruto standing with an unsure expression on his face. Looking behind him, she noticed a large golden gate with a paper stuck to it in the center. She could feel the oppressing chakra that was behind the cage and she took a step back in slight fear._

" _Where are we Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned._

" _Do you really want to know about me, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked warily. Hinata sensed the uncertainty in his voice and moved closer to him._

" _Hai. You don't have to bear everything alone. That night when you saved me, I saw it in your eyes. How scared you were to lose us… I saw how strong you are… I saw how kind you are…" She replied._

"… _We are in my mindscape. This is my subconscious. I will show you the truth, if that is what you desire." Naruto said._

 _Hinata saw him turn around and walk towards the large gate. She wanted to stop him but her intuition told her to trust him._

" _You can show yourself, Kurama." She heard him say. She was confused for a second as to who he was talking to. However, her eyes widened on seeing a large creature, easily the size of the Hokage Monument, appear out of the darkness. She stared in disbelief as the nine tails behind the creature swished around lazily. The red slit eyes stared at her intently._

" _Na…Naruto-kun…?" Hinata stammered._

 _Naruto looked at her sadly as she again took a few steps back in fear._

"… _This is my truth Hinata-chan. The nine-tailed fox that attacked Konoha eight years ago was never killed. Bijuu can never be killed by any mortal. They can only be sealed into human beings. The Sandaime Hokage sealed only half of the Kyubi in me due his immense amount of chakra and sealed the other half in himself. People like me who have bijuu sealed within them are called jinchuriki, Human Sacrifices." Naruto said slowly._

 _He felt the storm of emotions that were rising in Hinata's heart. He expected her to call him a demon like the rest of the villagers and never look at him the same. A lone tear dropped from his eyes as he turned around and walked towards Kurama. They were both considered demons, monsters by the entire village. Yet, the fox was the only one who understood Naruto completely._

 _However, after he took a few steps, he felt two soft hands envelop him in a gentle hug._

" _Is…that…why everyone calls you a demon, a monster… and look at you differently Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked in between tears. She felt him nod his head slightly and hugged him more tightly._

 _She moved around him, so she could look at his face. She gently wiped away the tears that were flowing from his eyes and laid a soft kiss on his forehead._

" _You can always trust me Naruto-kun. I will be always there for you… no matter what happens."_

 _At that moment, Naruto felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his heart. For the first time, he had trusted someone with everything and for the first time he had seen the look of complete understanding in someone's eyes other than Kurama._

' _ **You're not alone anymore, Naruto…**_ _' Kurama thought._

 _Flashback End_

"Thank you." Naruto muttered.

"Are you feeling better?" Hinata asked. She was aware that Naruto never took it lightly when someone belittled or mocked his friends. He had very few friends to begin with. He cherished the moments he spent with them and she worried about him whenever she saw the look of darkness in his eyes. She was not naïve as many thought her to be or even Naruto thought her to be at times. She knew when he hid things from her but she never confronted him openly about it. She understood he would tell her eventually.

"Hai. I feel better." Naruto said.

"I… just need to be alone for a while now." Naruto said as he got out of Hinata's embrace and walked in the opposite direction.

A lie. She knew the moment he spoke those words. But she still stood in her place with that innocent little smile on her face. A smile which always made Naruto's day.

However, when Naruto took a few steps away from her, the next words he heard made him freeze for a moment.

"I understand, Naruto-kun… Remember, you don't have to hide it from me. I will be there when you need me." Hinata said softly.

Naruto kept walking in the opposite direction knowing full what Hinata meant. It broke his heart to hide things from her. But it had to be done. He couldn't let her get caught up in his darkness. Her soul was pure, gentle and as innocent as that of a new born. He would keep her safe, even if he had to fall into the darkness.

As he shunshined away, Hinata's heart fluttered, hearing his last words.

 _Thank you for always being there… Hime_

 _ **A Few Blocks away from the Konoha Academy**_

" **You shouldn't hide your feelings from her, Naruto.** " Kurama said.

"I don't know Kurama… I just want her to stay safe." Naruto replied to his friend.

" **You care for her, idiot.** "

"That is why I must do what is necessary to keep her safe… even from me." Naruto said sadly. He had shunshined a few blocks away, so he could search for him. He was the only one right now the blond wished to talk to. Somehow, he always knew what to tell Naruto in situations like this.

'I'm sorry Kurama. I will make it up to her. But, I need to talk to Itachi now.' Naruto thought as he closed his eyes to extend his sensory abilities to search for Itachi's chakra signature.

A few seconds passed and he was able to locate him in the old clan Uchiha Clan compound near the Naka River. He was confused as to why he was there, since none of the Uchihas ever went there nowadays. He also found Shisui there with Itachi. He smiled inwardly at the prospect of seeing Shisui again. It had been ages since he had met with him.

Without waiting for another second, Naruto disappeared to meet with his brother like figures with a shunshin.

 _ **Within the forests of Old Uchiha Compound**_

Over the course of years, Naruto perfected his shunshin to such a degree that no one could sense the slightest use of chakra when Naruto performed it. So, when he appeared on a tree a few distances away from the place where Itachi and Shisui stood, none of them were aware of Naruto's presence.

Naruto moved to go talk to them immediately, but looking at the serious expressions on their faces, he stood his ground. Wanting to know what they were talking about, he sent a minuscule amount of chakra to his ears to expand his hearing range.

"…the last few clan meetings have been troubling, Itachi." Shisui stated.

"I know. There's little even Hokage-sama could do now to persuade tou-san from stepping down. The villagers and higher ups have been suspecting the Uchiha Clan for years now." Itachi said.

"You know what will happen if the clan goes ahead with the coup. There will be a…"

"… there will be a civil war in Konoha." Itachi finished. He knew of the conclusion very well. He had seen the result of the Third Shinobi War and the memory was still etched into his mind. Countless numbers of people lying dead on the ground with kunai lodged into several parts of their bodies. The earth around them shattered and destroyed with blood spilled everywhere. It was gruesome and inhumane.

"If a civil war breaks out in Konoha right now, it could mean an end to our village. During my missions with Root outside the village and from Danzo, I have heard some troubling news about Kumogakure and Iwagakure meeting with each other over a temporary alliance. If the two nations decide to attack us during the civil war, Konoha is as good as… finished." Shisui said dreadfully.

Itachi stared at Shisui with an impassive face, but on the inside, he was worried too. He was a loyal Konoha shinobi, who only dreamed for the welfare of Konohagakure no Sato. And knowing that his village was headed towards mindless destruction troubled his heart greatly.

He knew for a fact that the Uchiha Clan could never successfully finish the coup once they start it. Not with people like the Yondaime and Jiraiya still loyal to the village.

He was aware that if the Uchiha Clan went ahead with the coup, the Yondaime and Jiraiya would annihilate the entire clan, albeit regrettably. He didn't even want to think about what Naruto would do if anything ever happened to Minato or Jiraiya. He knew of the boy's prowess. It was terrifying… even to him. But what after that? What would happen if Iwa and Kumo actually attacked right after Konoha dealt with the Uchiha Clan?

From what he personally knew of Minato, the man would never give out the exact reasons of the Uchiha Clan for their actions. However, that is where the problem would arise.

It would cause a lot tension among the other clans in Konoha. The fact that the Hokage and the higher authorities killed an entire clan because of a disagreement would make the other clans wary. It would cause distrust between the clans and the Hokage and afterword they may even lose their faith in the Fire Daimyo. If the other nations did not end up destroying Konoha, the uprising brought by the Uchiha Clan will certainly make the village crumble in the long run.

"What do you propose we should do?" Itachi questioned.

Naruto, who was standing on a tree branch, stared with wide eyed at the two people whom he considered his brothers. His heart broke with each passing second as he heard his own clan was planning to take over the village. Yet at the same time, he was angry at the village. He had seen how some of the villagers kept their distance from the Uchiha Clan members but he never understood it why. He wondered what Shisui meant by his missions with Root as he had never heard of it before or of any person by the name of Danzo. There were a multitude of questions going through Naruto's mind and no definitive answers to them.

 _What were the Uchiha Clan being suspected of?_

 _He knew Itachi was an ANBU captain now, but who did Shisui work for?_

 _Who was Danzo?_

 _How does Shisui know about Kumogakure and Iwagakure meeting with each other? Does his father know about this?_

 _Were the Uchiha willing to go as far as to destroy the whole village for their own gain?_

However, one fact he concluded was the imminent destruction of Konoha if the Uchiha Clan went ahead with the coup or if Iwagakure and Kumogakure decided to attack Konoha when their defenses were down. His mind instantly thought of his father, his oji-chan, Hinata, Itachi, Shisui, Kakashi and his friends and the imminent danger they might be placed in and his heart had a morbid feeling. He, himself, didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to those he loved. He certainly did not want to see his village destroyed… but he cared for those people more than the village.

The only way Naruto knew he would get some answers was to confront Itachi and Shisui. With that in mind, he jumped down from the tree branch and landed softly on the ground beneath, making the leaves rustle.

Itachi and Shisui immediately turned their heads in the direction of the sound. They stood frozen in place as Naruto walked towards them with a grim expression on his face. They realized he must have heard the entire conversation and judging from Naruto's expression he was more shocked than worried.

Itachi, being more controlled of his emotions than Shisui, stepped forward towards the blonde who was standing in front of them now.

"Naruto-kun. What brings you here?"

"I know about the coup…" Naruto answered.

"I know that you do now." Itachi said. He was surprised as well as worried to see Naruto here now since he had thought he would be in class. It had been a few months since he had met Naruto, but he never wanted to meet his gaze under such circumstances.

"Why…? Why Itachi?" Naruto asked under his breath.

Instead of answering, Itachi simply stared at the young boy. Some might say Itachi was staring at Naruto with no emotion whatsoever, but Naruto could see the sadness in those black eyes. Itachi knew how much Naruto had suffered in his short life. He didn't want Naruto knowing his own family was betraying something that he loved dearly.

Naruto looked at Shisui hoping that he would say something, but all he saw was the downcast look on his face. He clenched his fists tightly as seconds passed.

"Tell me WHY!" Naruto yelled as he glared at the two with his sharingan.

"It's not so easy to explain, Naruto." Shisui answered calmly as he stepped forward. He knew he had to phrase his answer carefully. He was meeting the blond again after a few years. His time in Root did not allow him to spend that much time with his family or in the village. He knew he wasn't the same person who Naruto knew a couple years back. All those missions he did for Root, all the innocent people he had to kill on Danzo's orders took away a part of him. But there will still moments in his past that kept him sane. His time with Itachi and Naruto being the most important.

"Try me…" Naruto demanded. Shisui closed his eyes briefly as he sighed.

"It all started after the Kyubi attack ten years ago. There were rumors being spread that it was the Uchiha Clan who were behind the attack that night because of the sharingan. The civilian council and the elders of the village protested that the Uchiha Clan be relocated to keep better eye on them. But Hokage-sama had put a stop to any accusations against our clan. But that did not stop the villagers from being wary of our clan. As the years passed, all seemed fine from the outside but one of the elders, Danzo, still considered the Uchiha Clan to be a threat to the village. Without the Hokage's knowledge, he got a direct order from the Fire Daimyo himself to relocate the Uchiha Clan, which your father couldn't ignore. So, in the end, he had to. The Uchiha Clan felt that their position within the village was being threatened. They weren't included in the meetings also as much." Shisui explained.

"…so, they want to start a coup in Konoha to assert their dominance?" Naruto asked. He was surprised as to how much he did not know about what was going on in the village. All this time, he only thought of his pain, of the darkness that keeps growing within him day by day, that he never thought much about the suffering that other people go through.

"Hai." Itachi answered. He saw the sorrowful look on Naruto's face and he couldn't help but frown at the current shinobi system. The wall that has been erected between different villages and even within a village makes peace only an abstract idea.

"But it wasn't the Uchiha clan's fault. The Uchiha Clan could speak to tou-chan about this matter and settle things peacefully." Naruto stated.

"It's not easy to change the opinion of the people Naruto. People live their lives bound by what they accept as Correct and True. That's how they define 'Reality'. No one really knows what it means to be True or Correct, they are mainly vague concepts. Different people fight for different reasons and have their own versions of reality and perceive the meaning of Correct or True differently. One man's reality may as well be an illusion to another. My father believes that the Uchiha Clan have been wronged and this coup is his reality where his actions are Correct or True." Itachi said.

Naruto stared at Itachi, contemplating the meaning behind his words. His words were profound and Naruto could sense the meaning behind those words as he could relate to it himself. His whole life he had been hated by the villagers and after a single incident which involved in him saving a clan member made him get into people's good books. It showed how fickle reality was in people's eyes. His eyes morphed back to his original violet color as he understood the situation behind the Uchiha Clan's actions.

"You have to talk to tou-chan about this. He can probably find a way around it, to avoid further bloodshed." Naruto requested.

Itachi and Shisui exchanged a look between themselves and nodded, much to Naruto's confusion.

"We were planning to Naruto-kun." Itachi said.

"Also, not many people outside of the Clan know about this Naruto. So, we would like you to come with us to Hokage-sama when we talk to him. I trust you Naruto, but it's just to make sure no one else knows about it." Shisui said seriously.

"You should go home now Naruto-kun. We'll meet you tomorrow at your house at noon." Itachi said. Naruto nodded his head as he was about to walk away.

"And Naruto… congratulations on passing your test today. I'm sure you did better than everyone else." Shisui said with a smile.

"You know it nii-san…" Naruto said as he disappeared in a shunshin to his home.

"…Are you sure about this Shishui?" Itachi asked again.

"The coup places the Hokage's life in danger. We were tasked to get close to him, so we could assassinate him Itachi. We are Konoha shinobi and our loyalty lies with the Hokage. We must do what is necessary to keep the peace in our village, even if it means betraying our clan. We have to protect the future." Shisui said honestly. He smiled sadly as he too disappeared from the old Uchiha clan compound.

Itachi stood all alone in the forests as he stared at the sky. His eyes landed on a small bird on a tree branch, who looked to be a few days old. It tried to flap its wings to fly but failed every time. He saw the bird's mother try to help her child to fly as he realized something notable.

 _The children… they are the future of this village and must be protected for the village's welfare._

 _ **Tomorrow noon, Namikaze Compound**_

Naruto was standing in the library of the Namikaze compound with Itachi and Shisui standing before Minato's desk. Minato sat in his armchair as he looked at the two raven haired Uchiha. The library had some privacy seals, so Minato knew whatever the three wanted to discuss must be something important.

"So, what did you call me here for?" Minato asked cheerfully. It had been some time since he had seen Naruto, Shisui and Itachi together. The last time he had seen all three together was probably when Naruto was five or six years old he supposed.

"Hokage-sama, we have some significant news prevailing to the Uchiha Clan which we think you should know." Itachi said flatly.

Minato's face became serious as soon as he heard Itachi's words. He had noticed how the clan was acting strangely over the past year and it worried him. He knew the villager's behavior towards the Uchiha Clan and it pained him to see them treated that way. But the past few months he had become slightly more suspicious of the Uchiha Clan after the Elders of that clan came to him demanding to have an extra vote in the shinobi council. Of course, Minato had outright denied the demand, but he knew it was just a start. Also, the sudden increase in the Uchiha Police Force members as well as their increased patrol over the village was questionable too, but Minato did not have any reasons not to deny that request.

"What is it?" Minato asked.

"This information cannot leave this room Hokage-sama. The less people know about it, the better. I trust you know who all to discuss this information with to make further plans regarding this." Shisui said.

Shisui saw the Hokage looking at Naruto and understood his dilemma. "Naruto knows about it. He found us talking about it… accidentally." Shisui said the last part rather sheepishly. Naruto chuckled inwardly, knowing how a ten-year-old got the drop on the Uchiha Clan's two best shinobi.

"There is a coup being planned in order to overthrow you." Itachi said gravely.

"WHAT!?" yelled Minato angrily.

"That's the truth Hokage-sama." Itachi said passively.

"How do you know this Itachi? Tell me the truth now." Ordered Minato, losing all the kindness he had. He loved Itachi and Shisui greatly and knew them well enough to know they wouldn't do anything to betray the village. But still, as Hokage he would have to get rid of any threat for the village's security. Additionally, with the information that he received from Jiraiya a few weeks back, he knew what he was going to hear wouldn't be anything pretty.

"Ever since the relocation of the Uchiha Clan outside the main premises of the village, my father and the elders have lost their trust in you Hokage-sama. They believe your leadership to be hindering the advancement of the village. Also, the Uchiha Clan, being one of the founding clans of Konohagakure no Sato, believe that they should be treated better than they are being treated now and should have more say in the shinobi council. So, to reinstate their position within the village, they want to overthrow you so they could run the village on their own beliefs." Itachi said.

"That is not all Hokage-sama…" Shisui intervened.

"Continue." Minato ordered.

"I believe Danzo to be involved in this coup as well."

"Danzo? Do you have any hard evidence against him, that would be testifiable against him?" Minato asked.

"I have been with Root ANBU for a few years now and I'm a Root ANBU Captain currently. I have escorted Danzo to several illegal meetings. He approached me three years ago and asked me to join him. He told me his ideals on what he wanted Konoha to be based on. I knew at that moment that Danzo is not what he wants people to believe he is.

I am sure you are aware that Root is functional despite Sandaime-sama ordering Danzo to disband it years ago. Danzo receives much of the money for his activities from his business with traders outside of the village, either form the borders of Hi no Kuni near Kusagakure or Yugakure. He is cautious Hokage-sama. All the meetings and transactions are off the record, so there isn't any proof of him ever indulging himself in such activities." Shisui explained briefly.

Minato closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands to think clearly over the given information. He was shocked on hearing Shisui being part of Root. He knew the type of work that was done in Root and it was hard for him believe the kid whom he had seen grow up had become skilled enough to be an ANBU Captain. He supposed that everyone had to grow up at some point in time and in the shinobi world, it was better if one grows up fast. He was aware of the Root ANBU still being functional but he couldn't prove anything without any solid evidence. Danzo seemed to be extremely paranoid about his activities, otherwise he wouldn't be so cautious, which allowed him to survive for so long. But the most shocking news to him was the coup planned by the Uchiha Clan. He was surprised, he never got any hint of what was going on behind his back.

"Was this coup the elders' idea or Fugaku's idea?" Minato asked Itachi and Shisui.

"You're too good a man, tou-chan. You trust too easily. You should have noticed when Fugaku-sama came to visit you more regularly in the past year that something must have been suspicious. He is a shrewd man and was gathering intel on the Namikaze Compound so that he could plan a perfect attack on you when you are most vulnerable. Whoever this Danzo is, knows you are not someone to be trifled with directly. The best option for him and the Uchiha Clan to overtake the village is to eliminate the Hokage and the Jounin Commander strategically. If you want to destroy a nation, you need to destroy its leadership first. It's the most efficient way. As for your question, you should already know the answer to that." Naruto said impassively.

Everyone in the room were stunned by the explanation and thinking that Naruto showed. At this moment, he did not look like a ten year old, rather a veteran shinobi.

'Your astuteness terrifies me sometimes, Naruto-kun.' Itachi thought.

"…I assume you both were ordered to assassinate me?" Minato asked.

"Hai." Answered Itachi and Shisui simultaneously.

"You should get away from Root, Shisui. I will deal with them. Regarding the Uchiha Clan, I will have to speak to Jiraiya and Shikaku further about this." Minato said firmly.

"I'm afraid that is not possible, Hokage-sama. I know you have the numbers on your side and you alone could do it if they are all gathered in one place, but that is not the case. There are several bases of Root operations all over the village. Some of which I don't even know, mostly because Danzo does not trust anyone explicitly. If you act now hastily, it won't be just the Uchiha Clan revolting. It will be the full force of Root ANBUs and the Uchiha Clan. Also, the Root ANBU agents are far more skilled than our regular shinobi. The best way to currently deal with Danzo is to execute him legally. We will need to know his every strategy and how he is involved with the Uchiha Clan in this coup." Shisui confessed.

"How long will it take for you to gather further knowledge on Danzo's actions? It's a dangerous gamble dealing with Danzo. You know that Shisui. You have to get out of there soon." Minato requested.

Both Minato and Itachi were surprised by the calm look and the small smile Shisui had on his face. Even though Naruto could not see Shisui's face, he felt his emotions. The love he had for the village was beautiful indeed.

"I know what I was getting myself into when I joined Root, Hokage-sama. I'm a descendant of Kagami Uchiha. Fighting and dying for the village in the shadows, all for the village's safety, runs in my blood. My life is not important right now. I shall get the required intel in the next few days." Shisui said.

Minato wanted to argue, but looking at Shisui's face, he understood something. Shisui had accepted his fate and just wanted to see his village safe.

Minato, Shisui and Itachi discussed the course of action they could take for the next hour and eventually the two raven haired Uchiha left the Namikaze Compound to return to their duties. Shisui returned to his Root ANBU base and Itachi left to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

As Shisui and Itachi left the Namikaze Compound, a couple of shinobi standing on a tree few distances away from the main walls of the compounds watched the two Uchiha leave and narrowed their eyes ever so slightly. But no emotion was visible on their faces. That's how they had been trained their whole lives. That emotions leads one to make mistakes in the field and to be an efficient shinobi, one must get rid of them completely. The two shinobis had their chakra completely masked which made it difficult for even seasoned shinobi to sense their presence if they weren't looking for it specifically

"We must inform this to Danzo-sama immediately. Looks like Danzo-sama's suspicions were correct about Shisui acting strangely." Said one of them monotonously.

 _ **Four Days Later**_

Minato had contacted Jiraiya three days back and had asked him to come back to Konoha as soon possible through the Toad summons. However, it had been a few days and Minato had received no word from the Sannin. He knew his sensei was behind enemy lines in Kumogakure gathering information about the intel he received a few days back. Even though Minato didn't need any reassurance about Jiraiya's battle prowess, he still worried about his sensei.

Since, he couldn't discuss the matter with Jiraiya, he had called in Shikaku, the Jounin Commander, after his talk with Shisui and Itachi four days back to fill him in on the subject. Shikaku had been his good friend since his academy days and knew his son Shikamaru was good friends with Naruto. He trusted Shikaku with the village's most well kept secrets and knew the man was extremely loyal to Konohagakure no Sato.

Shikaku Nara was a Jounin level shinobi, head of the Nara Clan as well as the Jounin Commander of Konoha. He was undoubtedly a powerful shinobi who Minato trusted to be a good Hokage if anything ever happened to him. He was regarded as the sharpest and most intellectual shinobi in the village and some even regarded him to be on par with the Nidaime Hokage in terms of strategic analysis of a situation. Shikaku had two scars on the right side of his face, which were probably his two most noticeable features. He had long dark hair tied up in a ponytail, dark eyes and a goatee. His ears were pierced which often earned him a wild look. Shikaku mostly wore a meshed shirt underneath his Jounin flak jacket and a deer skin coat over that and hand guards.

Shikaku, too, had noticed the strange behavior of the Uchiha Clan but thought nothing of it at first as he always found that clan to be strange personally. However, even he was left speechless on hearing about the coup. Based on what Minato had told him, within minutes he had come to the same conclusion as Minato, Itachi, Shisui and Naruto if the coup took place. He already had a counter measure formed up but he wished to talk to Minato with both Itachi and Shisui present since what he had come up with was a drastic measure.

Unknown to the others, Danzo had some of his best men follow Shisui around inside the village to keep an eye on him. He had suspected the boy to become a traitor in the long run when he had readily accepted his request to join the Root. He was aware of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, which Danzo knew was invaluable. Danzo was a strict follower of rules and guidelines, a habit which he had developed when he was under the tutelage of the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju. His whole life, he had served in protecting the village from the shadows. He was a man of great strategic brilliance who would go to any length to form his utopia where he wished to see Konoha atop every other village. Even if it meant to kill another Konoha shinobi in cold blood.

It was late afternoon in Konoha and inside the library of the Namikaze Compound several people could be seen gathered. Minato was sitting in his armchair with Shikaku standing beside him to his right. Itachi and Shisui stood before Minato's desk while Naruto stood to Itachi's right on the side of the room.

"What were you able to gather, Shisui?" Minato asked.

"As you know, the Uchiha Clan's reputation was not that good among the villagers of Konoha. Danzo took advantage of that and formulated this plan with the Uchiha clan taking the blame for the entire coup. He had met with the elders sometime last year and made them an offer of giving them a prime position in most decisions that will be made within the village after he becomes Hokage. However, I believe it was Fugaku-sama's suggestion to launch a coup to overthrow the current Hokage and Jounin Commander. Danzo is aware that if anything happens to you and Shikaku-san, it will be either him or Jiraiya-sama as the prime candidates for the Hokage's position. But due to Jiraiya-sama's spy network, which is invaluable to the village, he would have a much better chance at being Hokage. Also, the Fire Daimyo's grandson, Senzo, will be mostly colluding with Danzo in directing the Fire Daimyo's decision." Shisui explained.

"And how did you come by this information?" Shikaku asked.

"Well… I put a genjutsu on Torune Aburame. He is Danzo's right hand man who oversees all his meetings and has detailed information about some of the important matters pertaining to Danzo. I couldn't hold him for long as Danzo might get suspicious. I have erased his memories of the interrogation ever happening." Shishui replied politely.

"I have a plan that could give Konoha an opportunity to get rid of Danzo from the village through which even Lord Senzo wouldn't be able to argue a case against him. But I would like to hear if you have anything on your mind Shisui, Itachi?" Shikaku asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

"We discussed it earlier, but I suppose there is a way to diffuse the situation without any casualties. My Mangekyō sharingan has a special attribute allowing me to use an exceptionally powerful mind-controlling genjutsu on people. It's called **Kotoamatsukami**. The technique allows me to enter the mind of any individual within my field of view and manipulate them by giving them false experiences, making it seem as if they were doing things of their own free will. I could make the elders' and Fugaku-sama confess to the planning of this coup with Danzo as their partner. This way, I'm sure we could make up a strong case against Danzo and even the Uchiha Clan will be spared of needless killing." Shisui exclaimed.

"I'm afraid that won't work completely. It may work out temporarily, but in the long run, we may have another coup before us…" Shikaku said curtly with closed eyes as he stroked his goatee.

"I can see your reasoning Shikaku. What do you propose?" Minato asked.

"What you are planning to suggest Shikaku-san is a violent last measure." Itachi intervened dangerously. He had a vague idea as to what Shikaku was going to propose. Even though he had thought of that, he hoped that he would never have to do it. He understood Minato's and Shikaku's concerns from their point of view. In the coup planned by the Uchiha Clan, all the registered shinobi within the clan were involved, including some of the civilians. If the elders' and his father were made to come forward and confess to their crimes, it would further deteriorate the Uchiha Clan's reputation within the village. In the long run, it could change the mentality of the remaining Uchihas and other children in the clan and cause further damage to the village. It was circumstantial, but its chances of probability were high.

Naruto, who was standing quietly, looked between the two shinobi curiously as his mind thought of the different scenarios that could be possible in this situation. His eyes widened as he concluded as to what the two were talking about and his anger rose simultaneously at the thought of seeing his entire clan dead.

 _No. Butchered._

"THIS IS MY FAMILY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! YOU CAN'T KILL THEM ALL!" Naruto yelled as his sharingan glowed bright red and his chakra rose to dangerous levels, forming cracks on the floor.

Shikaku was utterly surprised at the amount of hatred he saw in Naruto's eyes. He knew the Uchiha's love for their own was unimaginable and right now he was witnessing it. The amount of chakra the boy was releasing was easily greater than his own, he summarized. But he met Naruto's gaze without flinching for a second. He knew Minato's kid was strong but he had never seen him in a battle. He also knew that his plan was the only viable course of action, given the circumstances. With the threat of Iwagakure and possibly Kumogakure lingering on the verge, it was best to get rid of the problem entirely rather than having further loss of military when the coup starts. He knew it wasn't the best decision morally, but strategically, it was the best.

"That's enough Naru." Minato stated sternly, releasing large amounts of chakra himself. Itachi, Shisui and Shikaku found it unbelievable to witness the amount of power these two possessed. It made them wonder how powerful Madara Uchiha was if their descendants seem to possess godly amounts of chakra.

Naruto stared at his father in shock, having already felt his emotions. He couldn't understand what his father was thinking, siding with Shikaku. The Uchiha Clan were their family. Families are supposed to protect each other. Take care of each other. That's what his father always told him since his early childhood. He thought of Mikoto oba-chan, who came to visit him when he was a kid and a few tears dropped from his eyes at the thought of her being dead. But then, why was his father agreeing with Shikaku? Why would he want to see his own clan dead? He couldn't think of a clear answer and it was infuriating him. He glared at his father as his chakra levels rose even more and his entire body got covered in violet colored chakra and the surrounding walls began to crack slowly.

"I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH NARUTO!" Minato yelled as his chakra levels increased even further. Looking at his father's eyes, Naruto realized his father was not going to change his decision and he had no authority to change any decisions made by the Hokage or the Jounin Commander. He brought his chakra under control and so did Minato as the pressure within the room dropped.

Shikaku, Itachi and Shisui looked around hazily, wondering how the room did not break down with the amount of chakra that was being released.

Minato sat down on his armchair and sadly looked at Naruto who had wiped his tears from his face. This was the first time he had raised his voice against his own son and it hurt him. He understood what Naruto was going through. The loss of the only family he had ever known would be a heavy burden on his own heart too. But right now, he had to be the Hokage. It's never an easy job. Making decisions that would inevitably hurt someone deeply while benefitting someone else. Regrettably, he could see the benefit in following through with Shikaku's plan. If the Uchiha Clan were eliminated, the coup would be successfully defused and Danzo's further plans would be greatly hindered. Danzo had bet the progress of lot of his plans on this coup. If it were to be negated, he would have to come out from the shadows. That would make him flee from the village, considering that the Uchiha Clan elders would have some evidence of Danzo's involvement in written documents. And once Danzo is named a missing ninja, eliminating him wouldn't be an issue.

"Shisui, I believe even Itachi sees the problem in your plan. You can't get rid of the hatred that would develop in the hearts of the rest of the Uchiha Clan members." Minato said with a sigh.

It wasn't any easier for Shikaku too. Even though he found the clan to be strange at times, he had some friends within the clan who had fought beside him in the Third Shinobi War and gave their all to protect the village. But even he couldn't think of any other option which wouldn't lead to Konoha's destruction. He knew the loss of the Uchiha Clan would greatly decrease the number of veteran and experienced shinobi within the village, but this way, the casualties will be much less if the coup took place.

Shisui blankly stared at the Hokage, considering his own options. After considering the fault in his plan in the long run as well as the distrust that may happen between the remaining Uchiha and the other clans, he understood their point of view. The distrust may lead to catastrophic results on the battle field which won't be beneficial for Konoha. He looked at Itachi and saw he had already made peace with the decision. He knew Itachi was the sharper one between them and he must have already thought of this scenario earlier. He closed his eyes and released a deep breath as he made up his mind.

"We'll execute the mission tomorrow and become missing ninja. That way, we could keep a better eye on the enemies of Konoha and supply you with further intel." Itachi said as he bent on his knee.

"I'm sorry Itachi, Shisui… Naruto. But sometimes for peace to be maintained, we have to make larger sacrifices." Shikaku said grimly.

Both Minato and Shikaku looked at the two boys in front of them sadly and yet they couldn't be any prouder of the sacrifice they were making. Minato felt a heavy burden on his heart as he nodded. He loved them both dearly and to watch them throw away everything because of the ideals of a single man… He cursed himself for being so naïve and not noticing anything earlier.

"Hokage-sama, I have one request." Itachi said.

"What is it Itachi?" Minato asked.

"I will complete the mission, but I will not be able to kill my brother. He has no part in all of this. You must make sure he stays safe Hokage-sama. That is my only request." Itachi said as he bowed his head.

Naruto looked at Itachi with a heartbroken expression. He would be losing two of his brothers tomorrow. He would have to stay in this village and watch others hate the very people who saved them from a civil war. More tears slipped from his eyes as he thought of the kind of life Itachi and Shisui may have to go through to live as missing ninja. To accept hate in place of love. Disgrace in place of honor. A life of misery in place of happiness. It made him wonder if there can ever be true peace in this world. If people can ever trust each other completely or understand each other. It made him lose faith in the shinobi system even more.

"Father, I will join Itachi and Shisui in killing off the Uchiha Clan. I cannot let them bear the burden of it alone. They are sacrificing their entire life for this village. For the people who will be hating them from the day after tomorrow. I… I want to share their burden. I can't let them do this alone…" Naruto said firmly.

Everyone in the room looked at Naruto incredulously, wondering what on earth was he thinking.

"Naruto… you don't have to do this…" Shisui whispered.

"Naru…" Minato started.

"I wasn't asking father. Itachi and Shisui are like brothers to me. And I will do what is necessary for _my_ family." Naruto stated as he stared into Minato's eyes with his sharingan.

Minato smiled inwardly, seeing the love he had for his family. He wished that things could have been simpler, but unfortunately, they never were.

"I cannot allow you to leave the village however." Minato said. Naruto nodded as he folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes looking away from Minato.

Looking back at Itachi and Shisui, Minato stood up from his chair and walked towards the two raven haired boys.

"I give you my word that Sasuke will be safe here. I will look after him personally. You shouldn't worry about him." Minato said gently.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Itachi replied.

"I will make the arrangements for you and Shisui to get away from the village after the mission is completed so you both can get away without the Hunter ninjas coming after you for a few days." Minato added.

"That will be appreciated, Hokage-sama" Itachi said. Meanwhile Shisui stared at Naruto who was standing quietly in the corner with his eyes closed. He had no words to say to him. He was immensely proud of him and yet sad that he wanted to join them in the mission. He walked towards the blond and bent down in front of him keeping his right hand on his shoulder.

Naruto opened his eyes to look into Shisui's black ones. He saw a wave of emotions going through them.

 _Sadness and Gratitude being the major ones._

Shisui's left hand reached to the chokutō that was hanging to his right side of the waist. He took it out of the scabbard and put it in Naruto's hands.

"Keep this Naruto. It's my last gift to you. That's what brothers do, eh? Giving their siblings a present? Shisui said with a sad laugh.

Naruto immediately hugged Shisui tightly and whispered "I swear nii-san. I will bring you and Itachi-nii back one day."

Even though he had said it in a whisper, it was heard by everyone in the room. They all smiled sadly, seeing the bond Naruto shared with them.

Eventually Itachi and Shisui left the room to prepare for tomorrow night and Naruto left without sparing another word to his father who was looking at him intently.

"He will understand your decision soon, Minato." Shikaku said slowly as everyone else left the room.

"I can only hope he never has to make the same decisions as me…" Minato sighed as slumped back into the chair.

 _ **With Shisui**_

After leaving the Namikaze compound, Shisui decided to go to the Hokage Monument for one last view of the village before he had to leave to execute tomorrow's mission. He laughed sadly again, wondering how the situation turned out like this. He thought how Itachi kept his emotions in control so much. He could never do it. Even after spending almost three years in Root, he couldn't let go of his emotions. But he had made up his mind to complete his duty. He could see the logical reasoning behind Shikaku and Minato's decision. Even though he didn't like it, he understood why it had to be done.

As he reached the top of Hokage Mountain, he stepped towards the edge to look at the village. It was evening now and the sun was just setting. It made the village look so elegant in his mind. A picturesque sight. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to remember every detail he could of his village.

His sharp senses suddenly kicked in as he jumped away from his position to miss several shurikens and kunais that were thrown. He looked at his assailants and was surprised to find at least a dozen of Root ANBU agents standing before him. He looked around carefully to look for Danzo but did not find him anywhere and that troubled him.

"So… Danzo ordered you to finally take me out." Shisui said as he took out his own kunai.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I will try posting the next chapter by March 26 or March 27, 2017. After that, I will wok on my other story, Advent of Mokuzai.**

 **In next chapter, it will conclude the Uchiha Massacre taking place. There will be some twists and turns compared to the canon. I wonder how Sasuke is going to confront to Itachi, haven't really thought about that yet. But, it won't be something similar to what the canon Itachi says to his brother. I have other plans for Sasuke in the future along with Naruto. After the Uchiha Massacre is over, Kakashi and Hinata will be two people with whom Naruto will be extremely close to. The rift formed between Naruto and Minato will eventually come down sooner than you think. Iwagakure is obviously not going to keep quiet. Whatever they are planning along with Kumogakure or without them will happen soon too. Naruto's extent of power will shown when Iwagakure takes action. Or maybe before that, depending on what he plans to do after the massacre and when he sees the world through his Mangekyo sharingan.**

 **Well, I have been posting almost all of my chapters with 9k+ words for everyone to enjoy. So, it would be great if more people could write a few words of review for me to look over and know in which direction the story is going. Do Follow and Favorite the story, if you come to like it.**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I apologize for the slight delay in uploading this chapter. It took me some time to write it, also I had a few tests going on.**

 **Well, this chapter concludes with Naruto awakening his mangekyo and his rinnegan. Also, yes I did take some people's requests into considerations and applied them into the chapter. I was kind of anxious about writing this chapter, since it's an important one. I do hope everyone comes to like it.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway, let's continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The End or the Beginning?**

* * *

 _Previously_

" _So… Danzo ordered you to finally take me out." Shisui said as he took out his own kunai._

 _Present_

As the sun sank lower in the sky giving way to the velvety dark of the night, Shisui stood facing twelve Root ANBU shinobis with a kunai in his hand. Any normal shinobi would have been doubtful of their chances against a dozen ANBU level shinobis. However, Shisui had improved himself greatly during his time in the Root. He may earnestly despise the old war hawk but the man knew how to train a shinobi. Shisui knew there would come a time when Danzo would send his men to get rid of him once his usefulness was fulfilled. He had decided to go down taking as many of the Root shinobis as possible with him but seeing the love Naruto held for him today, made him want to stay. Not for himself, but for his little blond brother.

He couldn't leave Itachi and Naruto alone. The two maybe strong and unnaturally gifted in the shinobi arts but that didn't mean they could take on the world alone, go through the darkness alone. Everyone needs an anchor to connect them to the world. Besides, he too needed them, more than he cared to admit. They were his only family left.

He steeled his eyes and looked at the shinobis in front of him firmly. His black eyes morphed into the sharingan with three tomoes and calculatedly gazed at everyone, waiting for them to make the first move.

Three shinobis from the right suddenly ran towards him at an incredible speed with their katanas drawn. Eyeing them with his sharingan carefully, Shisui channeled futon chakra through his kunai to increase its sharpness and blocked the first strike before it could pierce his neck. Due to the futon chakra covering his weapon, Shisui's kunai sliced straight through the Root agent's katana forcing him to stumble back and lose his footing. Shisui immediately jumped up in the air and gave a strong chakra covered roundhouse kick to the second Root Anbu on his face making him crash to the third shinobi painfully, rendering them unconscious.

However, he had to jump to back immediately after that as the first shinobi threw several shurikens at him and ran towards him again aiming to deliver a viscous right hook. His sharingan picked up the ninja wires that were attached to the shurikens as he cut through them with precision. Ducking under the Root Anbu's right hook, Shisui looked into his enemy's eyes as his sharingan glowed bright red making the Anbu stop in his movements when he came up. Shisui then swiftly slashed the Anbu's neck killing him on the spot.

There was no time for the raved haired Uchiha to rest as his sharingan noticed several other Root Anbus standing back and preparing multitude of explosive tags attached to kunai to throw at him. Reacting quickly, he threw his futon covered kunai towards one of the Root shinobis, followed by a couple of hand seals.

" **Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** " Shisui whispered as the kunai suddenly multiplied to twenty and travelled towards the Root operatives at unbelievable speeds. Several of Root Anbus were hit at various vital spots on their bodies ending their lives instantly while four of them got away. Just as he thought it was about to be over, his eyes widened as he sensed something nerve chilling. He looked around and saw the entire forest surrounding him to be suddenly covered by at least fifty Root shinobis and Danzo standing at the back with a cold look on his face.

"You should stop running now Shisui. There is no way out." Danzo stated calmly.

'If he's willing to go to such lengths to just eliminate me, then he's certainly after my Mangekyō sharingan. I will have to come up with a countermeasure to keep it safe. But why would he bring so many shinobis with him out in the open just to confront me…?' Shisui thought as he looked around himself warily now.

"You believe you can stop the coup. You seem to believe I care what happens to this village right now. I'm not the Hokage currently... If a war does break out in the village right now, who do you think the Fire Daimyo will feel is most responsible for not knowing what is happening inside the village?" Danzo asked. He smirked as he saw the look of horror appear on Shisui's face.

"How could you…?" Shisui whispered as he understood what Danzo was planning.

Officially there is no record of Root ANBU ever existing within the Hokage's office. This branch of the Anbu was created by the Nidaime Hokage in secret before the Second Shinobi World War to catch the enemy off guard. If the enemy did not know a team of highly skilled shinobis exists, they could never prepare to engage them. And that secrecy played right into Danzo's favor currently. If the coup breaks out now, Danzo is certain the Uchiha Clan will be wiped out along with the set number of Root agents he set aside as expendable shinobis. Even though, Danzo doesn't necessarily like Minato's idealistic way of leadership, he respects power when he sees one. But in any war, small or large, there are always casualties. After the civil war is over, Danzo would have a strong case of portraying Minato as an incompetent Hokage in front of the Fire Daimyo. Making Minato appear to be someone who can't keep track of what's going in their own territory which resulted in the loss of a founding Clan of Konoha. Shisui realized the gravity of the situation and knew he needed to get out of here now and inform the Yondaime about the coup being taking place any minute now.

'Looks like I have no choice. I will be mostly running empty on chakra after this. But I need to get out of here quickly.' Shisui thought

Quickly making a hand seal, Shisui made seven **Kage Bunshins** of himself which surrounded him on all sides forming a circle. The Root shinobi surrounding the raven haired Uchiha on top of trees and on the ground immediately jumped towards him to stop him from further doing anything.

The clones surrounding Shisui swiftly went through a few hand seals quicker than the Root Anbus could anticipate and kneaded large amounts of katon chakra in their lungs.

" **Katon: Shinhidora no Jutsu** " said all the Kage Bunshins simultaneously, each breathing out intensely hot three headed fire dragons in all directions towards the Root shinobis. The devastating katon jutsu blazed through the incoming Root shinobis in a span of less than a second as each one of them were burned down to ashes. Meanwhile Danzo and his personal guards immediately jumped far behind and away from the reaches of Shisui's technique. As the jutsu died down, the entire area as well as the surrounding trees were covered in flames as a testament of the jutsu's power.

Danzo stared at the dead bodies of about more than forty Root shinobis and some still screaming in agony, irritatingly. He looked around and found no signs of Shisui. One thing he realized now, he had severely underestimated Shisui Uchiha. It unnerved him greatly how easily Shisui managed to dispatch all fifty of his Anbus.

'As expected of _Shunshin no Shisui…_ But, you can't run forever Shisui. That eye of yours will be mine soon.' Danzo thought.

"Go after him immediately. He couldn't have gotten that far away. He must be getting low on chakra by now. Make sure he doesn't away this time." Danzo ordered his men instantly.

'Such prowess… a waste of talent indeed.' Danzo thought mockingly.

* * *

 _ **Old Uchiha Clan Compound**_

The Naka Shrine, located in the old Uchiha Clan Compound has been a ceremonious place for the Uchiha Clan members since the village's founding. The Shrine has served as the Uchiha clan's meeting place ever since it was built. Outside the main entrance of the shrine, two members could be seen standing as guards to the Clan meeting that was currently taking place inside.

In the main hall, beneath the seventh tatami mat from the far right resides the secret meeting place where the clan members generally meet. In order to access the main hall, a sequence of seal is required to remove the stone that lays atop the entrance way. The seal itself has the sharingan in the middle and is encircled with seal formulas. Only those with the clan's revered doujutsu can access the main hall. The seal is to prevent any non Uchiha Clan members to enter the main hall and get hold of the clan secrets which resides in there.

In there, resides a stone monument, the Uchiha Clan Tablet which entails the clan's secrets since beginning of the Clan. Within the Uchiha Clan it is believed the stone tablet to be written by the Rikudo Sennin, who is thought to be a myth by many in the elemental nations. After the Uchiha Clan were moved from their old compound, the elders and Fugaku found it better to preserve most of the documents pertaining to the clan within this hall to preserve them from prying eyes.

Fugaku and almost all the shinobis within the Uchiha Clan were currently in the meeting hall, discussing vantage points from where they could strike the key places within the village efficiently. Most of the preparations for the coup had been already done and Fugaku was mainly awaiting Danzo's words on when to strike best. He knew it would be soon as he had received word from one of Danzo's men about four days back to be prepared. Most of the Uchiha clan members were on edge as it was the whole of Konoha they were going up against. But, their arrogance that the sharingan makes them superior to everyone else made them believe they would come out on top. Also, the fact that they would be supported by over two hundred ANBU level shinobis made them feel firmly confident.

However, Fugaku had been cautious of his elder son, Itachi the last couple of days. He had observed him to be a little quieter than he usually is and missing out on several of the clan meetings held in the last four days. He wondered if the boy was up to something that could jeopardize their plan, but didn't think much of it. After all, his own son wouldn't betray the Uchiha Clan, would he?

Itachi was currently hopping from one tree to another to reach the Naka Shrine to meet with his father. After he had left the Namikaze Compound, he was contacted by one of his clansmen that his father wished to see him. As he reached near his destination and was about to jump down from the tree, his eyes spotted a couple of ANBU arriving at the main entrance of the Naka Shrine. Observing them carefully, his eyes slightly widened as he realized they were operatives from the Root.

'What could they be doing here?'

He activated his sharingan and moved slightly closer to them. Using the **Meisaigakure no Jutsu** , Itachi hid himself from the open eyes. He knew the Root Anbus wouldn't be allowed inside and whoever they wanted to speak to would come outside eventually.

He stared impassively as he saw his father step out of the Naka shrine. Carefully sending slight amount of chakra to his ear, he was able to hear the conversation taking place.

"Danzo-sama asks to go ahead with coup any moment now. Two hundred of our ANBUs will be moving towards the Namikaze Compound shortly and will remain there to stall the Yondaime long enough for your people to get the preparations done." Said the Root agent stoically.

"Are you sure that many will be enough to stall the Yondaime?" Fugaku asked curtly.

"You do not need to worry about that. Most of those reinforcements that are to stall the Yondaime Hokage are from several of our bases outside the village. We have our plans regarding the Yondaime Hokage and Naruto Namikaze based on the intel you provided of the Compound. Danzo-sama has requested to be quick and launch the attack within the next hour." The Root Anbu stated as he disappeared along with the other one.

Itachi's eyes widened in horror understanding the implications of what he overheard. However, he wondered what could have prompted them to prepone the attack. He was certain the coup wouldn't take place for another few weeks.

'They must have followed Shisui around in the village discretely.' Itachi comprehended. He realized if the Root Anbu were going after the Namikaze Compound shortly, they must have cornered Shisui too. He was perplexed for a moment about whom to approach first but decided to put his trust in Shisui to hold off the enemies a little longer. Itachi immediately undid the jutsu as he saw his father go back inside the shrine and promptly shunshined to the Namikaze Compound with only a single thought in mind.

 _This is going to be an all-out war within Konoha._

* * *

 _ **Namikaze Compound**_

Naruto sat in his room quietly and stared at the ceiling. He didn't know what to make of the situation. He didn't know what to think of himself. He felt tired mentally. He felt conflicted with everything his father taught him since his early childhood about family.

 _What is more important? Family or village?_

He never lost anyone close to him, so he did not know how it felt. To experience the death of someone you held important. His mother died when he was born. Sure, he wished he had a chance to meet her. But, he never had a mother figure so didn't know what it felt like to lose her either.

He tiredly released a sigh and sat upright and decided to meditate to calm his mind. As soon as he closed his eyes, he found himself in his mindscape. He looked up and saw Kurama staring at him… angrily?

"What's wrong Kurama?" Naruto asked.

" **You damn well know what's wrong.** " Kurama stated.

"I don't get you…" Naruto said trying to hide his conflicted feelings as best as he could.

" **Stop whining over the decision your father made. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary.** " Kurama said.

"But… But I don't want them to die! They are my clan." Naruto argued.

" **Then why do they want to destroy your village if they are your family? Did they think about you?** " Kurama questioned angrily. Naruto slumped down on the floor as he had no answer to that.

"Why is there so much hatred in this world Kurama?" Naruto whispered.

Kurama rested his head on his paws as he too lied down on the floor. He looked at Naruto sympathetically. He looked so vulnerable right now. So… fragile.

" **I don't know Naruto. I have been around the humans for thousands of years and watching them cause wars for selfish reasons is out of my understanding. They talk about peace and yet are willing to shed blood of their own kin. One thing I understood over the years is that, you cannot change the world without sacrifices. It is a necessary evil, which you must embrace. You have the power to change the world. An even greater power lies dormant in you.** " The fox saw his jinchuriki remain silent and stare at his reflection in the water on the floor.

" **Who do you consider most precious Naruto?** " Kurama asked even though he knew the answer to that very well.

Naruto stared at Kurama for a moment wondering why he was asking the question.

"Hinata-chan, Itachi, Shisui, Kakashi, Jiraiya oji-chan…. Even tou-chan and you Kurama." Naruto answered eventually.

" **Would you not do anything to protect them? Would you not do anything to protect the home where you grew up? If you want to change the world, you should start with this village first. Remove the hatred that threatens to destroy this village. Save the family who cares about you.** " Kurama said firmly.

Listening to Kurama's words, Naruto's eyes widened as he understood something inconsequential. He always dreamed of living in a peaceful world, to just stay content with those he loved. If he couldn't save his own village from this hatred which would be brought by the coup if it took place, how could he ever hope of changing the world? He also felt slightly betrayed by the Uchiha Clan. He cared for them because they were his own clan. But did they think of him and his father? Did they consider talking to the Hokage about their problem?

But now Naruto knew what he had to do as he steeled his expression. He stood up and walked closer to his lifelong friend. Going inside the cage, he placed his right hand on Kurama's face. It still astonished him that Kurama was so big compared to him. He wondered how large his friend would be, if he had his entire chakra.

"After all this is over… I will get you out of this cage my friend." Naruto said slowly. Kurama's eyes softened on hearing Naruto's words. He never thought he would hear those words.

" **I know…** " whispered Kurama.

As Naruto turned around to walk out of the cage, he stopped midway as he sensed something.

'Why is he here again?' he thought. But his eyes widened as he sensed over two hundred chakra signatures approaching their compound from the east.

'It couldn't have started already…' Naruto thought terrified for a moment.

" **You know what to do Naruto. I'm here if you ever need more chakra.** " Naruto heard Kurama say.

Getting out of the mindscape, Naruto immediately made his way downstairs where he felt his father's and Itachi's chakra signatures. One glance at their face, he knew it had started already. It was only a moment of time before there would be chaos in the village.

"It started already did it not?" Naruto asked uncomfortably.

"Naru… Yes. Itachi just gave word to me. He overheard Fugaku conversing with Danzo's men to initiate the attack at any given moment now." Minato said.

"Tou-chan. You should go. I will take care of the shinobis coming towards our house." Naruto said curtly.

"There are over two hundred chakra signatures heading this way Naruto-kun. This would prove to be difficult even for you." Itachi intervened. He knew the blonde's strength but this time the numbers were against them. It was simply too much.

Naruto raised his hand stopping his father and Itachi before they could say anything further. He sensed their uneasiness and understood why they felt uncomfortable leaving him all alone.

"I will be fine. Moreover, I always wanted to test my limits. What better than over two hundred ANBU level shinobis. I will wait for them over here. You should go look after the village. Look after the civilians and get rid of any other external threats to the village… None of the shinobis heading here will leave alive. I promise." Minato and Itachi felt a shiver run up their back looking at Naruto's eyes. Minato remembered his father telling him about his thrill for battles during his younger days. Now he knows, who Naruto took after in that case.

"You know what to do, in case you need help Naru. I will be here immediately." Minato said as he got hold of Itachi and disappeared to the Hokage's office using the Hiraishin.

Going back to his room, Naruto put on his maroon kimono on top of his white t shirt and put on his black gloves. Picking up the chokutō which Shisui had given him, his eyes violet eyes turned red. He steeled his nerves knowing what he was about to do would be a massacre. With one last glance around his room, he shunshined outside the house to the east side of the Namikaze Compound.

* * *

 _ **With Shisui**_

After escaping from the top of Hokage Monument, Shisui managed to shunshin deep within the forests. He was sure that jutsu would have taken most of them out, so he could reach the Namikaze Compound safely. However, the jutsu costed more chakra than he anticipated and he was nearly empty right now. He hoped none of the Root shinobis came after him for a while.

Shisui currently stood atop the branch of a tree breathing heavily. He made sure to get away as far as possible from them. However, his eyes widened as he heard the sound of kunai travelling towards of fast speed. Jumping down from the tree in an open area he came face to face with six Root Anbus.

'This isn't good…' Shisui thought with labored breaths.

His eyes then landed on Danzo who appeared before the Root operatives. That uncaring look on his face infuriated and troubled Shisui.

"Stand back. Don't interfere until I say." Commanded Danzo as he stepped towards Shisui. As Danzo undid the bandages on his right arm, Shisui's eyes widened dramatically.

"You monster… You have stooped this low." Shisui said looking at the three sharingan that were attached to his arm.

"Something I collected during the Third shinobi war. I will get more of these during this civil war. It's sad that an Uchiha like you, doesn't know how to use the sharingan properly." Danzo stated uncaringly.

As soon as Danzo said that, he immediately lunged towards Shisui, his left arm aiming for Shisui's left eye. Reacting quickly, Shisui side stepped and caught Danzo's arm firmly. Activating his sharingan, he paralyzed Danzo using a genjutsu so he couldn't move.

Taking hold of the katana which Shisui had acquired earlier from another Root shinobi, he ran it straight through Danzo's heart who had a shocked look on his face.

"You die today Danzo. It's time that the world gets rid of you." Shisui commented acutely as he turned around and started to walk away slowly. He was sure the Root operatives wouldn't follow him. They were trained that way. Follow the command given by the leader or die.

However, as he took another step he was punched harshly right in his jaw, followed by a strong punch to his right cheek bone. Through hazed eyes he saw Danzo coming at him again with his left arm extended. Just as Danzo was about to reach his eye, Shisui's left eye further evolved from the three tomoe sharingan to take the shape of a four-pointed pinwheel. Danzo saw Shisui's mangekyō glow dangerously but before anything else could happen, he snatched the left eye from Shisui's eye socket and jumped near his men.

Shisui groggily stood up and turned around with his left eye closed and blood dripping down to his face from there. He dropped to his knees as he coughed up some blood on the ground.

"Get rid of him. Make sure he stays dead." Danzo ordered as he shunshined away from the area.

One of the smaller Root shinobis among the six walked towards Shisui with a tantō in his hand. Reaching near Shisui, he pointed it towards his neck as he shifted his mask, so that only Shisui could see him.

"I'm afraid this is the end…Taicho." He whispered. Shisui smiled knowing the boy for so long. He was the only one apart from him who couldn't let go of their emotions entirely.

"I promised you, I will get you out of Root. I suppose this the time." Shisui replied.

"There is nothing you can do now… Not all dreams come true." Replied the boy with no emotion.

"I'm not done yet… Sai!" Shisui yelled as large quantities of chakra exploded from him. Rest of the Root shinobi along with Sai were all pushed back due to the pressure of the chakra.

As they looked back towards Shisui their eyes widened seeing a green humanoid skeleton structure surrounding him. The skeleton further developed as its hands and torso gained muscles and become even more dangerous looking. Shisui weakly stood in the center of the skeletal figure holding on to his right hand. The chakra entity surrounding Shisui stared at the Root shinobi as its eyes shined bright yellow.

This skeletal figure is the fabled Susanoo, a gigantic humanoid being made entirely of the user's chakra that surrounds them and fights on their behalf. This is the strongest ability available to those who have awakened the Mangekyō sharingan in both eyes.

"What is this monster…?" stammered one of the Root shinobis.

Soon enough each of the Root shinobis gathered their nerves and immediately threw several exploding tags towards Shisui. However, it was all for nothing as the exploding tags did not even scratch the Susanoo. In response, Shisui's Susanoo opened its chest fired several chakra needles towards five of the Root shinobi killing them immediately.

As Shisui saw the five of them falling on the ground with a thud, the Susanoo around him faded and he fell on the ground on his knees coughing blood rapidly. The last thing he saw before he went unconscious was Sai running towards him.

Sai caught him immediately just before Shisui was about to hit the ground. He looked at the unconscious Uchiha with a strange expression.

"Shisui… I don't know what to say." Sai exclaimed in a hushed voice. He tightened his grip around Shisui as he suddenly felt a kunai being pointed at his neck.

"I suggest you let him go." Itachi said.

"I mean no harm. I was working under Shisui when we were in Root. He wanted to get me away from there." Sai replied.

"What reason do I have to believe you?" Itachi questioned stoically.

"You may tie me up and question Shisui later. You can still save him. He is not dead yet."

Itachi still held the kunai at Sai's neck firmly considering his options. He knew Shisui well enough to know he would have wanted to save someone if he wished to. He also did not see any weapon on this Root agent, neither any seals placed on his hands to hide them in.

"There is no need. Just move aside." Itachi ordered. As Sai moved, Itachi picked up Shisui and asked Sai to follow him immediately.

"Where are we going?" Sai asked.

"Naruto-kun's the only one I can trust right now to heal him. I don't think the other Root shinobis have reached the Namikaze Compound yet. We will enter the compound from the west anyway. So, we shouldn't encounter any Root shinobis on that side." Itachi said curtly.

'What could that dickless do?' Sai thought curiously.

* * *

 _ **With Minato**_

After arriving at the Hokage's office along with Itachi, he promptly asked his secretary to summon the Jounin and ANBU Commander as soon as possible. In the meantime, Itachi left the office to search for Shisui while Minato took a piece of paper and wrote a letter addressed to Jiraiya. He bit his thumb drawing a bit of blood and then went through a couple of hand seals.

" **Kuchiyose no Jutsu** " Minato said and in a cloud of smoke appeared one of his sensei who taught him senjutsu. Even though Minato could utilize senjutsu, he wasn't able to hold the form for too long. Thus, he did not use it very often.

"Minato-boy, what did you call me here for?" Fukasaku inquired.

"Fukasaku-sensei. You must get this to Jiraiya sensei as soon as possible. I haven't heard from him in three days, after I last contacted him. We have an emergency in Konoha right now." Minato said hastily.

"Slow down. What's gotten you so worried?" Fukasaku asked seriously.

"There's going to be a civil war in Konoha right now. The Uchiha Clan along with Danzo's Root Anbu will be revolting against the village in less than forty minutes." Minato replied gravely.

"We will handle the situation here but we will have lot of casualties. Innocent people will get hurt and some will certainly perish. I want Jiraiya sensei to look for Tsunade-sama and bring her back to the village." Minato stated.

"Are you sure Minato? The toads can help you out if you like." Fukasaku said.

"No, I wouldn't want the Toads to be involved in something like this. For now, this would do. I appreciate your help Fukasaku-sensei." Minato said politely.

Fukasaku nodded and vanished in a cloud of smoke. Not even a few minutes later, Shikaku and Kakashi came rushing in through the front doors of the Hokage's office.

"You called for us Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked professionally.

Minato made a single hand seal activating the privacy seals within the office. He looked Shikaku knowing he would understand the situation instantly.

Soon as Shikaku saw Minato's look he understood the situation. The enemy had realized their plan of getting rid of the root of problem and now the war would be beginning any moment now.

"Get the ANBUs in order Kakashi. The Uchiha Clan will be revolting against Konoha soon now." Shikaku stated.

Kakashi stared at Minato impassively finding it hard to believe a prestigious clan such as The Uchiha would do something like that.

"It's the truth Kakashi. We have a little over thirty minutes to get everything in order. Contact the gate security to lock down all exits. Send an ANBU team to the academy, hospitals and the borders of each clan compound. I don't want any of the clans to be involved in this. The matter has to be resolved by the Hokage, current Jounins and the ANBU." Minato said with utmost seriousness.

"If I may know your source Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked. He respected Minato more than anyone within the village but he had to be sure about the actions he would taking.

"Itachi and Shisui. I'm afraid Danzo's Root ANBUs are involved too. Shikaku will coordinate with the Jounins while you and I will coordinate with the ANBUs. We don't know their plan of action yet. But, I believe they will start by targeting the main areas within the village." Minato said.

"Sensei, if the jounins are taking care of the civilians and the ANBUs are fighting against the Uchiha Clan members, what about the Root? I'm sure there will be large numbers of them…" Kakashi questioned.

"Naruto… He asked me to do this. All of the Root Anbus will be gathering outside the Namikaze Compound shortly." Minato said with a sigh.

Shikaku and even Kakashi's eyes widened on hearing that.

"That's suicide Minato sensei! What were you thinking!?" Kakashi yelled.

"Kakashi… Get the ANBUs to the required locations immediately and do it discreetly. That's an order. Naruto can take care of himself. I will be there to help him if he requires it." Minato said sternly. Shikaku stayed quiet as he heard Minato's words. He knew Minato would have taken some precaution to ensure nothing happens to Naruto. But it would have been risky even for him to go up against an entire ANBU division. It made him wonder what the kid was capable of.

"Shikaku, get the jounins to evacuate the civilians and the children behind the Hokage Monument." Minato commanded. Shikaku nodded and left the office to advance on the decided plan.

"I hope you are right on this sensei… about Naruto." Kakashi said staring into Minato's eyes.

"He may just surprise you Kakashi." Minato said as Kakashi and he disappeared to the ANBU headquarters located in the Hokage Monument.

* * *

 _ **With Itachi, Sai and Shisui**_

In about five minutes of quick jumping through the trees and a few shunshin later Itachi and Sai had reached the west side of the Namikaze Compound. They had made sure to keep their chakra as suppressed as possible to not alert the enemies on the opposite side of the compound.

He laid Shisui down on the ground who was still unconscious due to extreme chakra exhaustion. Itachi sadly looked at his old friend momentarily as some blood still leaked from his eyes. He wondered if that was the price of using the mangekyō sharingan. Shisui never did tell him how he awakened those eyes. But Itachi was certain it wouldn't be anything pretty considering the sharingan is normally awakened during strenuous situations.

"Keep an eye on him. I will get Naruto-kun over here." Itachi told Sai as he walked towards a small door on the wall surrounding the compound. He bit his thumb and sprayed some of his blood over the seal on the right side of the door. Soon enough the door opened and he walked inside.

Quickly tracing Naruto's position, he shunshined over there.

Naruto patiently sat on the porch of the entrance on the east side of the Namikaze household. He turned around immediately when he sensed Itachi's, Shisui's and… Sai's chakra signature? He wondered what he was doing here. With them nonetheless.

Not even a second later, he found Itachi standing before him with a somewhat worried look on his face.

"Itachi what's wrong? You shouldn't be here right now." Naruto said.

"It's Shisui. He's badly injured and needs medical attention. I couldn't trust anyone else right now." Itachi replied earnestly.

Making a hand seal, Naruto made a **Kage Bunshin** with enough chakra in it to heal Shisui as well as fight.

"My clone will go along with you. It has enough chakra. I can't leave this place right now Itachi. This is something I must do alone." Naruto said softly.

"I understand Naruto-kun." Itachi said.

"You should take Shisui some place safe. My clone can fight if need be. This area isn't going to be safe for him much longer." Naruto advised. Itachi proudly looked at Naruto. Sometimes he wished if Sasuke understood the meaning of a village and the importance of viewing others with equality. Itachi still had hope for him to understand that the Uchiha Clan isn't so great as it used to be.

"Stay safe Naruto-kun. No need to worry about others for now. No one would be happy if you don't come out of this alive." Itachi said as he turned around along with Naruto's clone to shunshin out of the compound.

Itachi smiled slightly hearing his brother's last words.

 _I always keep my promises nii-san._

* * *

 _ **Twenty-Five Minutes later within the village**_

The air was still and heavy, thick clouds covered half the sky. A cool breeze swept the alienated streets of the village and the owls swept silently overheard. Even the shadows were beginning to be swallowed by the encroaching darkness. Within those darkness, large number of shinobis carefully moved from one position to another all over the village planting an exploding tag on the walls of the buildings. The academy and the hospital area had already been swept with adequate number of those tags to bring down the building by the members of the Uchiha Clan. Several of the clan members had taken strategic position outside of the Nara Clan, village's main gate as well as the Hokage's office.

Unknown to the Uchiha Clan members standing guard on various locations inside the village, several of the ANBUs on Minato and Kakashi's command had already taken point on these designated targets to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. Both sides were waiting on command of their leader to take further actions. The available jounins within the village had been each tasked with the protection of civilians in a specific area of the village. Knowing that time wasn't on their side to get all the civilians to safety before the attack commences, all the jounins were handed a Hiraishin kunai by Minato in case of circumstances which could not be dealt by the Jounin alone.

Fugaku patiently waited on the roof of the Hokage Building along with twelve of the best shinobis from his clan. He had planned on destroying the Hokage building on his own. However, he was also slightly worried since he had received no word from Itachi. He had asked one of his clansmen to tell Itachi to meet him, but his son never showed up. He was worried mainly due to Itachi's behavior. He had always been more different than the other Uchihas in the clan. More of a pacifist, more dedicated to the village… more dedicated to the Hokage. And he had a feeling, sharing the coup plan with his son could come back to haunt him. The Uchiha clan members who were not participating in this coup were within the confinements of the old Uchiha Clan compound along with his wife Mikoto and his younger son Sasuke, however the children were kept in a separate room.

Fugaku's eyes then shifted towards the radio transmitter through which he was supposed to communicate with the leaders of the other teams that were waiting all over the village. He had never seen one of these before. The device was supplied to him by Danzo stating it was created by the R & D department for better communication during warfare.

Glancing one last time at the moon above, his eye turned blood red and whispered few words in his transmitter that would change the fate of this village.

 _Show them the power of the Uchihas._

 **BOOOOOOOM!**

Then all hell broke loose within the village as sounds of explosion could be heard in several parts of the village. A building near the hospital collapsed going up in smokes, the Konoha academy building broke down into pieces along with the ANBU headquarters which was surrounded by more than two dozen shinobis of the Uchiha Clan. Danzo had even supplied the secret location of the ANBU headquarters within the village to the Uchiha Clan. This information wasn't common knowledge to the public of the village apart from those who had clearance to access the facility.

Fugaku smirked darkly as he thought of the first step of his plan being a success. Destroy the important buildings within Konoha. Then capture the Hokage and the Jounin Commander, which was being handled by Root Anbu and his clansmen respectively. Majority of the shinobis of the Uchiha Clan had surrounded the ANBU headquarters based on the building design given by Danzo. He was certain his men would be able to hold of the ANBU due to their element of surprise.

However, his smirk faltered when his sharingan saw Minato appearing on top of the Hokage roof out of nowhere, right in front of them. And judging from the look on Minato's face, Fugaku realized he knew everything beforehand. Minato and Fugaku stared at each other impassively without flinching. But, Fugaku eyes widened slightly, when saw Itachi appear on Minato's right.

"So… you have chosen the other side." Fugaku stated emotionlessly.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

'They are close… in about a few minutes or so they will be here…' Naruto thought as he got up from the porch and he shunshined to outside of the compound. He folded his arms over his chest and looked at the path before him impassively.

" **Are you going to be okay Naruto?** " Kurama asked.

"We'll see… Kurama. We'll see…" Naruto said as he saw the silhouette of an entire army of Root Anbu heading his way. He gripped his chokutō tightly and began walking forward slowly.

* * *

 _ **At the Hospital**_

A young shinobi named Kento Uchiha who looked about the age of 17 or 18 watched his surroundings cautiously as the dust settled after the explosion. The storage facility where all the medical equipment resided was kept in a separate building which had just been taken down when the exploding tags went off. He and his team were outside the hospital making sure no one got outside or inside the facility. Their main goal was to hamper the medical facility of their enemy to render their chance of saving their comrades in the midst of battle.

Kento looked to each of his side to ensure his teammates were still in position and sighed in relief to see all them intact. Two were standing on the roof, one on each side of the front entrance while Kento stood in the middle. As he waved his hand to remove the few dust particles flowing in front of him, his eyes landed on a weird bee flying before his eyes. He went to squash it with his bare hands, when it suddenly stung his thumb. Before he could even do anything else, Kento fell on the ground with a thud as the poison attacked his nervous system.

The other two Uchiha Clan shinobis on the ground immediately turned their eyes towards the sound and found their partner to be on the ground unmoving. A mistake on their part as they soon found kunai lodged at the back of their head covered with raiton natured chakra.

Three members of the ANBU quickly and discreetly made their way towards the front of the hospital entrance without alerting the shinobis on the roof and took the Uchiha shinobis' previous positon.

The one on the right looked towards his leader who was in the middle and nodded.

"All is clear on the left side too Taicho." Whispered the Anbu on the left side of the front of the hospital.

The one in the middle went through a couple of hand seals and made three **mushi bunshin** of himself. It was a simple diversionary tactic. The **mushi bunshin** would quietly go to the roof and make themselves known to the Uchiha Clan shinobi who are present. Upon close combat between them, the **mushi bunshin** would dissolve to surround the enemy to drain their chakra. It's effective because the sharingan won't be able to tell difference between the three bunshins since they all possess same amounts of chakra. Once the enemy is distracted enough, the ANBU on the ground would go to the roof and finish to job quickly.

The mushi bunshins walked up the walls of the hospital and promptly jumped on the roof gaining the attention of the two shinobis that were present on the roof. As soon as the Uchiha shinobis noticed the presence of someone else, their sharingan activated and they released the kunai towards their enemy aiming at their vital spots on the body. To, their surprise, all the kunai passed through their enemy and they dissolved into any army of bugs that surrounded them on all sides.

"Fuck… It's kikaichu bugs." Yelled one of the Uchiha clan shinobi. But before he could jump off the roof, his entire lower half was swarming with bugs and almost all his chakra was being drained off.

The ANBUs on the ground promptly went to the roof when given the signal by their Taicho. The ANBU belonging to the Aburame Clan recalled his bugs back to his body while his partners killed the two Uchiha Clan shinobi with their tantō straight through their heart. The death for two was quick and painless.

* * *

 _ **On top of Hokage Roof**_

Fugaku stared impassively at his elder son as his eyes evolved further, showing his mangekyō sharingan for the first time openly. It had three dots followed by three curves spiraling counter-clockwise around the pupil.

Both Itachi and Minato widened their eyes on seeing Fugaku's mangekyō sharingan. None of them had knowledge of him ever possessing it.

Itachi wanted to say something but his father stared into his eyes, as if searching for meaning behind his action.

Fugaku suddenly dropped his kunai and his telecom as he got to the ground on his knees. Itachi's eyes further widened as he understood what his father meant and a few tears dropped from his eyes. The twelve Uchihas behind Fugaku understood their Clan leader's intentions and dropped their weapons too. They had lost the war. There was no use in fighting it.

"Promise me this Itachi." Fugaku said firmly. Itachi looked at Minato once with hazy eyes and walked towards his father with his tantō in his hands. Fugaku saw him falter in his steps as more tears dropped from Itachi's eyes.

"Take care of Sasuke and Mikoto…" Fugaku said as he saw Itachi stand behind him now.

"I will." Itachi confessed as his hands shook. He shut his eyes close as the tears flowing from his eyes became unbearable. He knew he would have to do it, but it didn't make it any easier on him. To kill his own father.

Minato sadly stared at his once good friend and his son. A lone tear dropped his eye as he averted his gaze towards the sky.

"Do not fear it. This is the path you have chosen. Compared to yours, our pain will end in an instant. Our philosophies may differ, but I'm proud of you." Fugaku said firmly. He heard his elder son sob more with shaky hands and his eyes softened slightly.

"You are truly a kind child… Itachi." Fugaku whispered gently.

With closed eyes, Itachi ran his tantō straight through his father's heart. He heard his body fall limp on the ground and turned around as he did not have it in him to look at his father's body.

"Your father was right Itachi-kun… You truly are a kind child. Please make this quick." Said another one of the shinobis of the Uchiha clan. Soon as he said that, Itachi moved around the twelve members of his clan swiftly as their bodies too fell limply on the ground.

"It's over Itachi…" Minato said softly as he put a comforting hand on Itachi's shoulder who still had tears rolling down his eyes. As Itachi opened his eyes again, both his eyes had three spiraling curves around the pupil.

* * *

 _ **At ANBU Headquarters**_

The ANBU headquarters, the most secure place in Konohagakure was located behind the Hokage Monument from the prying eyes of the village. Most of the black op missions' deployment and interrogation took place within this building, thus requiring high level of security.

The Uchiha members surrounding the ANBU headquarter which was nothing more than pieces of rocks lying around, moved closer to it. The entire area was surrounded by dust due to collapse of the building which made it somewhat difficult for them to look around even with their sharingan.

"Setsuna, can you get a feel as to how many shinobis are there inside now?" asked Yashiro Uchiha. Yashiro is a veteran shinobi of the second and the third shinobi world war. He fought alongside the Sandaime and the Yondaime in each of the wars. He was highly skilled in his mastery over the sharingan and could handle himself fairly well in kenjutsu. He was a prominent member of the Konoha Military Police Force too and was thus given command of this unit.

Setsuna quickly went ahead towards the fallen building and closed his eye momentarily to focus.

"…. what have you got?" asked Yashiro quietly as the members of the Uchiha Clan behind him spread evenly around the collapsed building. He along with everyone were hiding in the shadows of the night and had their chakra concealed perfectly. One thing Yashiro had learned from his experiences in the war was that to be always on guard even when you feel you have won. Because in a war, no one plays by rules or morals.

"I can feel a kind of seal on the walls of these buildings. That's why I couldn't pin point the exact number of shinobis inside. The seal must be specifically made to confuse sensors about the strength of the ANBU forces inside. But wait… there are no chakra signatures under the building..." Whispered Setsuna shockingly.

Before Setsuna could even finish his words and Yashiro could understand the implications of what he had heard, all the present Uchiha Clan members had to jump away as the ground beneath them burst open. Not even a second later, came a hail of kunais and shurikens, some coated with chakra which struck many Uchiha shinobis ending their lives instantly. Around five or six managed to get away from the kunai and shurikens thrown at them and some successfully deflected them with their own kunai.

However, the Uchiha Clan shinobis soon found themselves standing in a small area and their eyes widened in horror when they saw hundreds of ANBU surrounding them, ready to kill them at a moment's notice.

"This whole thing was a damn trap… If the ANBU knew about the coup, it's certain than the Yondaime knew." Said Yashiro murderously as his hands clenched tightly around the kunai he was holding.

Yashiro and Setsuna looked around with their sharingan for a way to escape but found themselves to be surrounded on all the sides. There were ANBUs everywhere. At that moment they realized, they were not leaving here alive.

Yashiro saw Kakashi coming towards him, wearing his traditional Konoha ANBU attire and looked at him sternly. Yashiro looked at him curiously, knowing it was against the rules for an ANBU to remove their mask on duty. He raised his eyebrows slightly seeing the words _Commander_ written on his uniform.

"Hn… Your father had a knack for going against the rules and now look at you, ANBU Commander and forgetting the general rule of keeping your mask on, at all times Kakashi…" Yashiro mocked.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and stepped towards Yashiro. Disarming the old man from his kunai swiftly, Kakashi pressed his own kunai closer to Yashiro's neck.

"No one allowed you to speak." Kakashi whispered into his ears coldly.

The remaining Uchihas gripped their kunais and tantō tightly and glared at the ANBUs around for disrespecting one of their own.

"Your unit is surrounded from every side…. There is no where you can run. Order you men to drop the weapons right now and maybe we could let you live." Said Kakashi flatly.

"You all will kill us anyway!" shouted some of the Uchihas angrily as they held their kunai and tantō and prepared to go down fighting.

"Don't do something rash. Surrender now and give us information on Danzo and you could spend the rest of your life in prison." Offered Kakashi.

Acting impulsively, all the six Uchihas including Yashiro and Setsuna jumped at the ANBU to fight their way to death. But before they could cover even a meter, their bodies became covered by dozens of kunai.

Kakashi sighed as he looked around himself. So much death. Ever since he could remember, people around him died. His best friend Obito, who died due to his arrogance, his friend Rin who was killed by his own hands, his sensei's wife Kushina and now these few members of the Uchiha Clan.

'Maybe it's time to leave after this is over…' Kakashi thought somberly as he looked up at the starry night.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

Naruto calmly stood with his chokutō in his right hand, staring impassively at the army of a little over two hundred Root Anbus. His long blond hair flowing as a slight breeze moved over the area. While the faces of the Root Anbus were not visible due to their masks, it was clear to Naruto none of them portrayed any emotion. He could feel his opponents were strong. The way they stood and portrayed themselves was enough for Naruto to know his battle wasn't going to be an easy victory.

However, he smirked which perplexed many of the shinobis. Naruto couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement. This was his chance to fight strong opponents. His chance to test his limits, his strengths. He had always known he was strong. Far stronger than even his own father or Jiraiya could comprehend. He had stopped considering Jiraiya a challenge about a year ago or so. He had a suspicion his godfather already knew that and accepted that fact.

He smiled darkly and settled in his stance, ready to begin the blood bath.

' **Damn Uchihas and their craze for battles…** ' Kurama thought irritatingly.

"So, Yondaime left his only child alone to face an entire army? Do you really think we are going to let you leave here alive?" asked the leader of the Root Anbu standing ahead of everyone else. He had a bulky and large figure indicating he was more prone to using his taijutsu to overwhelm his opponents.

Naruto chuckled darkly on hearing that.

"You talk too much… Let's dance…" Naruto whispered.

Gripping his chokutō tightly Naruto ran straight towards the awaiting Root Anbus at an impeccable speed. Before the Root Anbus could realize what was happening, Naruto already cut through three of the shinobis easily while kicking another one on the chest harshly breaking his ribs. The shinobi flew through the crowd at a fast pace while colliding with several Root shinobis on the way as he fell down unconscious with copious amounts of blood flowing from his mouth.

Ducking under a punch, Naruto ran his chokutō straight through the Root Anbu's stomach. As he took out his chokutō from the man's body, Naruto swiftly back flipped and jumped high in the air and channeled raiton chakra through the chokutō making it shine bright purple. Landing on another section among the Root Anbu, Naruto swung his chokutō horizontally as the extreme sharpness of the raiton chakra coating his chokutō cut through the other shinobis' tantō, making them jump back instantly. His sharingan picked up another five shinobis coming at him from above and he thrust his chokutō down in the ground. Making hand seals faster than the shinobis around could anticipate, Naruto ended the sequence in the ram seal and clapped his hands together.

" **Katon: Gouka Hataka no Jutsu** " Naruto yelled, as a wave of destructive fire flew all around him. Pumping large quantities of chakra into the jutsu, the fire flowing around Naruto flew in all directions for fifty meters, burning everything it encountered. Due to the intense heat and rapid movement of the fire, many of the shinobis burnt to ashes upon the second they contacted it. The suiton users among the Root Anbus standing at the back quickly came forward and started making a long series of hand seals.

" **Suiton: Suijinheki** " shouted fifteen of the Anbus as they spewed forth large quantities of water from their mouth creating a water barrier that clashed against the intense fire coming towards their way. As the two-opposing natured jutsus collided a thick mist blanketed the area. Many of sensors among the army of Root Anbu promptly sensed something approaching them from their right and steadied themselves.

"Get ready. He's coming from our right!" said one of the Root Anbu.

The more experienced Root Anbu agents came forward and steadied themselves. They had severely underestimated their opponent. Almost twenty to thirty of the shinobis were already dead by now. As Naruto jumped through the mist, he ran through the crowd of shinobis ducking and evading the punches, hooks and leg sweeps aimed at him. As he swatted away a punch aimed at his jaw from his right, Naruto caught the kick that was coming towards him from his left and with great strength picked up the shinobi and threw him to his right making him collide with the other shinobi painfully on the ground and creating a small crater in the process. He leaned back barely missing a katana that would have run through his neck, Naruto back flipped and landed on a shinobi's face making him fall on the ground face first and jumped forward.

Naruto's sharingan constantly moved left and right as he kept track of each shinobi in his vicinity. He didn't how many shinobis he had already killed yet, but he had a dark smile on his face and it was starting to scare the Root Anbu. They had been prepared for years to let go of their emotion. But currently the way this child… no... this person could not be human many of them thought. Fear was the emotion that was stirring up within the mind of several shinobis.

Naruto landed on the ground and somersaulted while picking up two kunai that were fallen on the ground. He immediately jumped and threw both the kunais in opposite directions coated with futon chakra which sped through the wind and lodged into two more shinobis head. Simultaneously, Naruto kicked two more shinobis on the head, the force of the kick easily breaking the shinobis' skull. Catching a kunai attached with an exploding tag coming at him quickly with his left hand, Naruto spun around taking out the exploding tag from it with his right. Sticking the exploding tag on another shinobi Naruto kicked him on the chest pushing him backwards towards another bunch of shinobis while throwing the kunai in his left hand in yet another shinobi's head. The exploding tag attached to the shinobi exploded, killing several others nearby him. Moving to his right, Naruto caught the neck of another shinobi coming at him recklessly with a tantō and stared into his eyes coldly as his sharingan spun. Not even a second later, the shinobi dropped on the ground as his mask shattered. His wide horrified eyes in the open for everyone to see.

" **Futon: Atsugai** "

" **Futon: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa** "

" **Katon: Gokayaku no Jutsu** "

" **Katon: Housenka no Jutsu** "

Naruto heard the shouts of many jutsus being used from all directions. He immediately shunshined out of the area near the walls of the Namikaze compound. However, much of his kimono was burned along with several cuts on his right arm. Yet again, Naruto stared at the shinobi in front of him impassively without any care in the world. It was becoming hard even for the Root Anbus to determine what the blond was going to do next.

Making a single hand seal, large amount of water in the atmosphere above the Root Anbu condensed to take the form of several needle like water bullets.

" **Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu** " whispered Naruto as the water needles rained down on the Root Anbus speedily painting the ground with their blood. Many of the shinobis managed to get away from the area but were still hit in several spots on their body.

Naruto stared at the hundred or so Root shinobis coldly as they stood limply on the ground. He saw a couple of shinobis shunshin out of the area and frowned.

"Pathetic…" spat Naruto. However, the very next second his eyes widened as he felt her chakra outside the compound. Before he could even move, two Root Anbus appeared a few meters away from him holding her with a tantō placed on her stomach.

Naruto glared at the two Root Anbus murderously as his chakra spiked to dangerous levels. The ground beneath him began to crack due to the pressure of his chakra alone.

"She has nothing to do with it…" Naruto said coldly.

"On the contrary, she has everything to do with it. Our master warned us to be cautious of you. But you are far beyond of our league. It's no easy feat to kill a hundred ANBU level shinobis." Stated one of the shinobis. Hinata stared at him unbelievingly after she heard the shinobi's words. She hadn't seen Naruto in four days and grew worried and so decided to come visit him in his house. But half way onto his compound, she heard several explosions sounds which scared her slightly. She then quickly ran towards Naruto's house when she was suddenly picked up by these two shinobis.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whimpered.

"If you even as much as put a scratch on her… **I will hunt you and your master down to the end of this world and kill you painfully**." Said Naruto darkly.

The Root Anbu looked at the young blond with no emotion whatsoever in his eyes from behind his mask. With a quick move of his hand, he impaled the tantō in Hinata's stomach and he along with his partner shunshined back to their group.

Naruto just stared with wide eyes as Hinata gurgled up blood and dropped on the ground. He wanted to move, go closer to her, hold her, heal her as he saw the blood flowing out the wound where the tantō was impaled. But he couldn't. Somehow, he moved forward with heavy breaths but stopped when he saw her close her eyes.

When you find that one person who connects you to the world… you become someone different. Someone better. When that person is taken away from you… what do you become then?

He walked towards her silently and sat down beside her. Removing the tantō from her, he held her gently. He hugged her closer to his chest and he screamed. He screamed to the heavens. At that moment, a beam of heavy potent violet chakra shot from Naruto and tore through the dark sky.

The Root shinobis standing around took a step back in fear and fell to their knees. Kakashi standing near the fallen ANBU headquarter building stared at the pillar of chakra reaching the sky. He knew whose it was and he ran immediately. Minato standing on top of the Hokage tower looked warily at the beam of chakra and lost all sense of normality. He ran as fast as he could, followed closely by Itachi. Sai scarily looked at the immense chakra that was flowing towards the sky and sweated dangerously.

Danzo standing in his base fell on his knees as he stared at the jar containing Shisui's eye. However, now when he looked at the jar again, there was nothing there. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered taking the damn eye from him.

His eyes widened as he remembered Shisui's mangekyō glowing at him just before he thought he snatched his eyes. He glared at the jar furiously as he smashed it into more pieces. Getting up from the ground, he ordered Torune and Fu to make some of his Anbus get the remaining job done as he decided it was time for him to part ways with the village for a while.

All the shinobis within the village stared at the tall pillar of chakra and fell to their knees. It was so potent. It was so pure. It was like, the chakra alone had a mind of its own and right now it was commanding them to fall to their knees. It was like god himself was commanding them.

" **Naruto… calm down. You need to control yourself Naruto!** " Kurama shouted in his mind, but Naruto paid him no heed.

Naruto continued to scream and tears freely fell from his eyes as he held Hinata close to his chest. He felt an immense burning sensation in his eyes and shut them. His entire body felt on fire. However, he opened his eyes when he felt something stir in his arms. Looking down, he saw Hinata staring at her weakly. She put her bloodied hand on his cheek and stared at him with so much affection.

"I'm…. here…. Naruto-kun…" Hinata said in between breaths.

"Shhh… Hinata-chan. You rest here. I will be back soon okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you again…" Naruto whispered as wiped the tears from his eyes. Making a seal less **Kage Bunshin** to stay beside her, Naruto stood up and turned towards the Root Anbu who were paralyzed in their position.

The Root Anbu took a step further back and their eyes widened when they saw Naruto's eyes. Instead of the normal sharingan, it was completely red with a black spiral originating from the pupil of his left eye. But that wasn't what scared them most. It was his right eye. It was bright silver with a black dot as it's pupil and several concentric rings containing nine tomoes split between the first three rings.

Naruto stared at them with no emotion. He felt nothing as he stared at them, all except a single thought.

 _These pests deserve to be removed from the face of this earth._

" **Amaterasu** " Naruto whispered darkly as he focused his right eye towards the Root shinobis. Instantly, all the hundred Root Anbus were covered in black flames and in a span of few seconds there wasn't a single of them left alive. All burnt to ashes and blown with the wind to their very last cell.

Walking back to Hinata, he sat down beside her and held her close to him. He didn't know what had happened, how it happened. But, the only thing he cared for right now was her. She stared at him through lidded eyes sadly. She looked at his eyes and knew something inside him must have changed. She heard him whimper and saw him shed a few tears. She understood why he was crying and held him as much tightly as she could.

"I'm not… going anywhere… Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered gently.

"I'm so… sorry Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he lost his consciousness. Hinata saw him close his eyes and fall on the ground. She tried getting up but it she still felt too weak to move. Her wound had been healed thanks to Naruto's clone, but it was still tender and it took most of her energy just to stay conscious. Putting her arm across him, she laid her head on his chest as she heard the rhythmic beating of his heart.

* * *

Soon enough Minato, Itachi and Kakashi came to the scene of Naruto and Hinata lying unconscious on the ground along with the dead bodies of more than hundred Root Anbus lying behind. Minato's eye fell on the black flames that were still burning and he understood what had transpired when he turned his gaze towards Hinata again.

"Kakashi go check with the other ANBUs and the jounins if everything is alright and Itachi go check on the other Uchihas who did not participate in the coup." Minato ordered softly. He walked towards his son and made a **Kage Bunshin** holding a single hand seal. He picked up Naruto while his clone picked up Hinata.

Turning back, he stared at his two best shinobis with a sad look in his eyes.

"It's over… Go check on everyone else. I will put these two to bed and inform Hiashi about daughter." Minato said.

Both Kakashi and Itachi nodded and disappeared in shunshin. On his way, Itachi made a **Kage Bunshin** of himself to go look for Shisui and Sai and bring them back to the Namikaze Compound.

* * *

 _ **Half an hour later**_

After Minato had put Naruto and Hinata to separate beds comfortably, he went to his library and just slumped on his armchair. Kakashi had reported to him about ten minutes earlier that all the civilians and children in the village were safe and had been moved away from the battle scene. Tonight's event had taken a toll on him too. Few tears dropped from his eyes as ultimately it was his decision to eliminate the Uchiha Clan. He would have to live with that burden for the rest of his life.

"What would you think of me tou-san?" Minato whispered softly to himself.

However, he straightened himself as he felt Itachi's chakra and soon enough he was standing in front of him with an unconscious Mikoto and Sasuke along with him. His eyes then shifted towards his **Kage Bunshin** who was holding onto Shisui and a pale boy standing beside him. Ignoring the boy for now, he turned his attention back to Itachi.

"Itachi, what happened?" Minato asked with concern.

"Hokage-sama… everyone else is… dead in our clan…" Itachi stated.

"Tell me what happened. I thought you said some of the people would be kept safely who are not taking part in the coup." Minato questioned.

"Some were… But I think Danzo has fled the village. When I arrived at the old Uchiha Clan compound near the Naka river, I found many of Root Anbus there along with many people of our clan lying dead on the ground with their eyes taken. I believe he wanted my mother and brother too, but alive, since they were just knocked out. However, I don't know the reasons for his actions." Itachi confessed sadly.

Minato's eyes hardened as he heard Itachi's words. He had a lingering idea as to what he would be needing the sharingan for but he had no way to make sure of it.

"What of Shisui's eyes? Was it taken by Danzo? Presuming that would be the only reason Danzo would want to take him out..." Minato asked. Itachi's **Kage Bunshin** opened Shisui's eyes to show that they were indeed safe. Itachi understood the importance of Shisui's mangekyō sharingan. They held a great amount of power and in the wrong hands it would only bring about greater disaster.

"I see. Your family and you can stay in our house. You should get some rest Itachi now. We all have had a long night. It's best for all of us. I will deal with tonight's events and Danzo's defection tomorrow morning." Minato said.

"… hai Hokage-sama." Itachi said tiredly as he carried his mother and Sasuke to a vacant room. On the way out of the library he asked Sai to carry Shisui to another room to get some rest for the night.

After checking on Naruto and Hinata once again, Minato too turned in to his bed for the night.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I will be posting chapter 8 mostly by April 15 or April 16, 2017. I got to update my other story too and got a few more exams coming up.**

 **One of the main reasons, Danzo had acquired Shisui into root so he could make him see his own ideals and train him enough to be able to kill the Hokage one day. Shisui was a prominent figure within the Uchiha Clan as well as close to Minato while growing up. So, Danzo had decided not to mark him with the curse seal. Minato would have certainly found out about the seal had Shisui been marked with it. Hence, the reason for Shisui not having the seal on his tongue.**

 **The next chapter will not be as long as this. It will be the aftermath of what happened the next day. How Naruto's life changes more, the decisions he will have to make. Danzo will be obviously declared a missing ninja and would lose much of his influence with the Fire Daimyo. Although, it will be interesting, what he does with so many of those eyes belonging to the Uchiha Clan.**

 **Again, please review more, so I could know how to proceed with the story while also keeping your opinions and requests in mind. Please Follow and Favorite if you come to like the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! Well, I don't know what to say about the delay in uploading the chapter this time. But, just that I may end updating the story either two to three days before the date I specified or four to five days after the specified date.**

 **So, this chapter mainly shows what really happened with the main characters after the short war ended. I know, I haven't showed much of the Konoha 11 as of now, but they will be brought into the story at a later time when it's time for Naruto to interact with them more. Right now, Naruto in this story needs a way figure things out with his life, what he wants to do with the power he has, how he wants to do it. This chapter shows how Naruto really feels about his life a little and the decision he makes which will come to shape his life as a shinobi later on.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway, let's continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Decisions**

* * *

 _ **Next Morning, Naruto's room in Namikaze Compound**_

 _A being of unimaginable size._

 _A sentient being, who kept watch over the humans and one who was regarded as a god by everyone else._

 _A name that had been lost to mankind in the last two or three thousand years._

Naruto stirred slightly as more and more visions flowed through his mind.

 _Three people wearing white clothes, standing atop the sentient being and looking down at him with maniacal expressions._

 _Each one of them having chakra that either matched or surpassed his own._

 _As the three released their chakra, the blond looked around himself with solemn eyes. So much death and destruction._

 _The very earth itself was being torn apart. The wind howled and the sky itself turned blood red in accordance to the chakra being released._

Almost instantly, Naruto jolted awake with deep breaths and found himself sitting on a bed.

'What were those… visions?' Naruto thought, somewhat warily. He looked around himself and saw that he was in his own room. Briefly confused as to how he got there, Naruto stiffened up the next second as the memories of the night before came rushing back to his mind.

His eyes widened as he remembered the last thing he saw before falling unconscious last night. Closing his eyes and focusing on Hinata's chakra, Naruto sighed in relief as he found her to be okay in the Hyuuga Compound. Despite knowing what he did was to protect his village, Naruto closed his eyes for a few seconds and prayed for all those who died last night. Even though killing was not something Naruto enjoyed, he understood that it was something necessary if he wished to protect those close to him.

As he tried to move from the bed, Naruto realized his body still felt a little sore from last night. Willing himself out of the bed, the young Namikaze walked in front of the mirror.

Naruto stared at the nine tomoes in the concentric rings of his right eye, simply too stupefied to do or say anything. He sent chakra to his left eye, turning his usual violet eyes into the sharingan with three tomoes. Sending furthermore chakra into his left eye, it turned completely red with a black spiral originating from the pupil.

"Kurama… is that the Mangekyō sharingan and Rinn…Rinnegan?" Naruto whispered in disbelief as he remembered about those eyes from the memories Kurama once shared with him and his tou-chan.

" **They are. The Mangekyō is different for every person. Your father could tell you more about it. He has a Mangekyō sharingan as well…** "

"I see." Naruto replied calmly as he observed both his eyes more.

" **But the Rinnegan in your right eye is different from what I remember seeing in Rikudo Sennin's eyes**. **I don't know why that is.** " Kurama replied gravely.

Cutting off the chakra in his left eye, Naruto walked back to his bed and allowed his body to fall on it tiredly. He couldn't understand why he felt so tired right now. He normally felt refreshed after getting a few hours of sleep and his chakra healed him quite quickly every time as well.

" **Tck… you can be stupid sometimes too.** " Kurama said with a light chuckle.

"What was that?" Naruto asked in a deadpan manner.

" **The Rinnegan is not a doujutsu that can be used by just anyone. You are probably the closest who comes to Rikudo Sennin to be able to utilize the Rinnegan's true power. You feel tired because the cells in your body have been constantly adapting to your change in chakra and your chakra coils have increased in size immensely since you awakened the doujutsu.** " Kurama explained.

Naruto mentally nodded as he made sense of what Kurama just explained. He moved around in his bed and faced towards the window.

'Oh, good. I didn't sleep for too long.' Naruto thought as he saw the sun just about rising in the sky. The blond sat upright on his bed a few seconds later as he heard the approaching footsteps of his father.

"Naruto?" Minato called out as he entered the room. He had left a **Kage Bunshin** in the Hokage's office to take care of work for a little while. It was a few minutes past seven in the morning and he was a tad bit worried about how Naruto was feeling. Also, with Naruto awakening the Mangekyō sharingan, Minato wished to be more watchful of his son's eyesight. However, he abruptly stopped as his eyes landed on Naruto.

"Good morning tou-chan." Naruto greeted his father with an awkward chuckle as he saw him stop midway.

"Are you feeling any better, Naru?" Minato questioned as he got over his momentary shock. He pulled up a chair from the side and sat on it nearby Naruto's bed.

"I… I did what had to be done, to protect those I cared for. I'm okay father." Naruto said plainly as he looked up at the ceiling. Minato saw the tiny flash of sadness that appeared in Naruto's eyes but decided to keep quiet for the moment. He was certain that when the time was right, Naruto would talk to him.

Minato's eyes then lingered to Naruto's right eye. _The Rinnegan_. He himself had only heard myths about the capabilities of the exalted doujutsu. Minato remembered Jiraiya telling him about a boy whom he had trained at the end of the Second Shinobi War, who too had the rinnegan. However, he also felt somewhat scared about what laid in the future. It is said that the Rinnegan appears in the world during times of great disaster and turmoil.

"Don't worry tou-chan. Everything and everyone will be fine." Naruto said comfortingly as he sensed the cloud of uncertainties in his father's mind. Naruto knew his father worried a lot about him, and he couldn't blame him for it. They both only had each other in this world on whom they could rely on blindly and whom they loved endlessly. Naruto got down from the bed and moved closer to Minato and hugged him tightly. The Father and son stayed in that position for a few seconds before Minato let go of Naruto's hold.

"Is… is she alright, tou-chan?" Naruto asked as he looked seriously into his father's eyes.

"Hai. Her father came and picked her up at night." Minato replied sincerely, knowing well enough who his son was talking about.

"You should get downstairs and eat something, alright? I should probably get back to work too. A lot of things I must to take care of." Minato said as he bent to Naruto's eye level. Naruto nodded his head as he realized he hadn't eaten anything in quite a while.

"We'll talk about that eye of yours tonight okay? I got a message from Jiraiya-sensei, saying he will probably return by tonight. He had requested the Toads to send a message to Tsunade-sama through the slugs. So, she will be here by tonight as well." Minato said.

Naruto merely nodded as he heard his father's words. He was a little excited about meeting another Sannin, who was also his godmother. But at the same time, Naruto felt slightly ticked off that his godmother never visited him in ten years of his life.

After he saw his father disappear back to the Hokage's office, Naruto stood near his bed and he stretched his arms and legs a little. Closing his eyes, he felt the chakra flowing in himself and gasped. If earlier his chakra was like a gigantic lake, now it felt like a never-ending ocean. Naruto was even more surprised to find the level of control he could feel over his chakra. He knew he had ridiculously great chakra control earlier, but now it felt flawless. He could feel the chakra passing through each cell of his body. With his eyes still closed, Naruto held up his right hand and extended his index and middle finger, forming the seal of confrontation. Concentrating on his medical chakra, a green chakra enveloped Naruto's body and gently moved all around him. A few seconds later, the blond opened his eyes and released a content sigh as he felt perfectly rejuvenated now.

'This feels great…' Naruto thought, wide eyed.

 _ **Downstairs at the Namikaze Compound**_

Itachi and Shisui sat on the sofa in the main hall of the Namikaze household while Mikoto sat across them expressionlessly and her face covered up in tear stains. She had woken up a few hours ago next to Sasuke and frantically looked for anyone from her family. She had calmed down a little when she saw Itachi and Shisui downstairs but couldn't stop from crying herself out when she learned about last night from her elder son.

"Forgive me kaa-san." Itachi whispered again in a shaky voice as he put his face down on the palm of his hands. He couldn't sleep properly the entire night. Even though he was glad his mother and brother were safe from the massacre that took place last night, the guilt of killing his own father weighed heavily on his heart.

"I understand, Itachi." Mikoto replied as she wiped the tears off her face. She held Itachi's hand gently as she saw him shake slightly.

"It was not your fault Itachi. Our clan was too persistent in getting people to respect them, that they made themselves vulnerable by colluding with the wrong people. I tried talking your father out of his decision earlier, but he wouldn't budge. But I'm sure he respected your decision in choosing the village." Mikoto said in a motherly tone. Shisui, who was sitting beside Itachi, smiled a little on seeing this side of Itachi. In all the years, he had known the Uchiha prodigy, it was rare to see Itachi so fragile or open about his feelings.

All three of them were so lost in their thoughts that they did not notice the approaching blond Namikaze. As Naruto quietly walked down the stairs, he heard some of the words Itachi said to his mother. A few tears rolled down Naruto's face as he felt how hurt his brother was feeling. He couldn't fathom the burden on Itachi and Mikoto's heart, knowing they would never get to see their family ever again. However, Naruto also felt an intense amount of hatred for the one person who was mainly responsible for all of this.

'Even the Shinigami won't save you from me, Danzo…' Naruto thought darkly.

With the stairs being just behind the sofa Itachi and Shisui were sitting on, none of the two had noticed when the blond walked past them. Naruto quietly walked towards Mikoto and stopped in front of her. Both stared at each other intently but both had different feelings in their heart. While one felt sadness and grief, the other felt shock and slight anger.

"I'm sorry, Mikoto oba-chan." Naruto said in a low voice as he bowed. Itachi and Shisui stared at the young Namikaze's back sadly, yet proud of how he protected the village bravely.

Everyone in the room was astounded when Mikoto slapped Naruto in the face. Naruto looked up at Mikoto immediately but was surprised to see the sea of sadness and worry in her eyes. At that moment, Naruto understood her unspoken words. He understood the love a woman has for her child. Itachi and Shisui opened their mouths to say something but stopped when Mikoto looked at Naruto sternly.

"What were you thinking, fighting so many shinobi all alone!?" Mikoto yelled.

"I helped raise you when you were just a baby. I lost most of my family last night. I couldn't lose you too Naru-chan." Mikoto said sadly. Naruto felt his heart break a little at the amount of concern he felt radiating off her. Moving closer to her, Naruto wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug.

"I'm sorry oba-chan. I just wanted to protect…" Naruto whispered in her ears.

"You won't be doing anything so reckless like that again. You understand me?" Mikoto said curtly, as she cut off Naruto's words.

"Hai." Was all Naruto could say earnestly as he rested his head gently on her shoulder. It really warmed his heart to know how much she cared for him. For a few seconds, everyone in the room remained quiet, immersing themselves in the warmth that could be felt in the room right now.

"Naruto?" Shisui called out as a few more seconds passed by. Naruto let go of Mikoto and the moment he turned to face his two brother like figures, both Itachi and Shisui became wide eyed on seeing Naruto's right eye.

Naruto chuckled awkwardly again, expecting the same reaction from them. The two older Uchiha got out of their stupor as they heard Naruto chuckle lightly.

"What happened to your right eye Naruto?" Shisui asked dumbly. While Shisui had heard about the Rikudo Sennin and his eyes, he did not know what it looked like. Meanwhile, Mikoto listened in to the conversation, as she too wondered about Naruto's right eye when she saw it first.

"So, you awakened the Sage's eyes?" Itachi asked. Naruto nodded, not at all surprised to know that Itachi had figured it out. He had always been the smarter one and was prone to know a lot about history. Both Mikoto and Shisui looked at Itachi and Naruto in disbelief.

"How do you know about that Itachi?" Shisui asked as he turned towards him.

"I have read some of the older journals that were kept in the Uchiha Clan library relating to the founder of our clan. It states only someone with Sage's blood could have the possibility of awakening his doujutsu. There was more written in the journal, but I couldn't read it with my sharingan." Itachi said as an idea came to his mind.

"You could read more with your Mangekyō sharingan Itachi nii-san, Shisui nii-san. But I'm guessing, to read the entire thing, one may require the rinnegan." Naruto stated before Itachi could say another word.

"I suppose that is correct." Itachi replied thoughtfully. Everyone in the room became silent for the next few minutes until Naruto's stomach started to grumble loudly. The blond rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"You should have told me you were hungry Naru-chan." Mikoto said with a small giggle. Naruto pouted when he heard Shisui and even Itachi laughing lightly.

"I will go make something to eat okay? You better stay over here." Mikoto ordered as she got up and walked over to the kitchen.

Once Naruto was sure Mikoto was out of hearing range, he looked at both Shisui and Itachi seriously.

"What will you be telling Sasuke?" Naruto directed the question to Itachi.

"I don't think it's time to tell him the truth about father's or the Uchiha Clan's actions. He still has a lot to learn about the importance of village." Itachi said tiredly. He was thankful Naruto waited until his mother left to talk about Sasuke. He was worried about Sasuke too. Last night, he pondered a few hours whether to tell Sasuke the truth or not. His brother took an excessive amount of pride in the Uchiha name. There were a lot of times when Itachi tried to show Sasuke the value of the village, that no one clan is solely important in the standing of the village, but sadly, his brother's ethics that the Clan comes before anything took after his father's.

"You can't be serious Itachi? I'm sure he will understand. He's your brother. He deserves to know the truth." Shisui argued. Shisui had always believed in being honest with family unless the circumstances are crucial and unavoidable. Even though he did not know Sasuke too well, he believed Sasuke deserved to know the truth about his father's death.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Itachi on this, Shisui." Naruto commented.

"Sasuke… he's still too immature. He's too impulsive. I'm sure there will come a time in the future that he will be ready to know what actually happened to Fugaku-sama and the reasons behind the Uchiha Clan's actions. But right now, he has a lot to learn. Our main problem right now is Danzo. He was the one who instigated Fugaku-sama to start the coup. He supported Fugaku-sama's idea and provided him with soldiers to keep the plan operable. Until Danzo is either gone for good or Sasuke is ready to know about the truth, he needs to stay in the dark about all of this." Naruto said honestly.

Itachi nodded his head, knowing well the truth behind what Naruto said. Now, he just needed to explain this to his mother. He knew his mother would understand his reasoning behind keeping Sasuke in the dark. Shisui sighed as he looked at the two stubborn Uchiha.

'Both are too adamant on their own believes at times…' Shisui thought as he got up from the sofa.

"Okay. Okay. We'll do it your way. I doubt Hokage-sama is going to tell the elders or the council about the truth of last night… I got to go talk to Hokage-sama about a matter now anyway. So, I will see you guys later." Shisui said as he walked out the front door and shunshined to the Hokage's Tower.

Ten or fifteen after Shisui left the house, Mikoto called Naruto and Itachi for breakfast. In the short amount of time, she had cooked up scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice to go along with it. Naruto and Itachi ate the breakfast on the dining table quietly while Mikoto sat on beside her son. After having breakfast, Naruto glanced at Itachi and excused himself to spend some time alone so Itachi could talk to Mikoto about Sasuke.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

After leaving his house, Naruto shunshined to one of his most favorite spots within the village, the Hokage's Monument on top of his father's head. Whenever he had a lot on his mind, the blond often came here to clear his mind of troubled thoughts. The clear view of the horizon and the aesthetic view of the village reminded Naruto why he loved the village so much and to what lengths to would go to keep his home safe.

As he appeared on top of the Yondaime's head, Naruto walked to the edge and sat down. He inhaled deeply, taking in the freshness of the day. The reddish-orange hue of the sky, the chirping of the birds and the light breeze that was flowing in the area made him feel somewhat peaceful. As peaceful as one could feel after slaughtering an entire army the night before and losing almost their entire clan.

Gazing up at the illuminating sun, Naruto outstretched his arm towards it and realized how tiny he was compared to the very universe in which his world resided. He plopped down on the ground a few seconds later and released a tired sigh. He was honestly tired of all the violence he had seen in his short time of life. Closing his eyes, Naruto entered his mindscape.

Kurama has always been the one constant in his life. From the moment he was born, the fox was the one being who always stayed with him, knew him, understood him in a way not even his father understood him at times. He entered the cage and sat beside his big furry friend. Kurama opened one of his eyes stared at Naruto.

"There was no victory last night. Only death and suffering." Whispered the blond tiredly.

" **That is the cost of every war. Whether be it long or short. It has brought nothing but death and suffering.** " Kurama stated.

"Hmm…" Naruto replied absently as he closed his eyes.

" **How are you really feeling, Naruto?** " Kurama asked with concern. He could feel the blond wasn't being honest about his feelings to Minato.

"I… I don't really know. I want to feel sad… I want to feel terrible… but… I just don't know what to think..." Naruto started off but paused in between while Kurama patiently waited for his friend to finish.

"…I killed so many people last night, Kurama. They… they tried to hurt Hinata and I killed them all in an instant." Naruto said as tears rolled down his face.

" **There is far too many bad people in this world and very few good. You are not a bad person Naruto. The fact that you feel bad after killing so many proves you are not bad.** " Kurama said as he tried to make Naruto see sense in what he did last night. One of Kurama's tails took hold of Naruto and put him on top of his own paw. The blond rested his back against Kurama's soft and furry paw and released a content sigh which made Kurama chuckle slightly.

"Do you think peace can ever be possible in this world? Rikudo Sennin was able to create peace when he was alive. Do you think I can do it?" Naruto asked.

" **You have to get a lot stronger Naruto, if you ever hope of accomplishing true peace.** "

"Huh?" Naruto asked, not understanding what the fox meant.

" **You wouldn't hold a candle to Rikudo Sennin, as you are now. You may surpass his raw strength in a few years, but he had strength apart from his raw power too. His ability in the use of Yin-Yang release and his mastery over senjutsu was the most terrifying thing that I knew of. He could defeat you with just one hand. Rikudo Sennin was a true god in every sense.** " Kurama explained honestly. Apart from Naruto, the Rikudo Sennin was the only other being who Kurama loved and held in high regards.

Naruto gulped a little on thinking of how strong the Sage was but at time same time, he was slightly annoyed that he was so far outmatched.

" **You have the potential to surpass him, Naruto. You are his descendant, you are the only one other than him to befriend me, to gain my respect. There will come a day when I know you will get to your dream.** " Kurama said in a rare moment of immense respect for the blond. Naruto turned around and stared into Kurama's red slit eyes. A lone tear dropped from his already tear stained eye as he witnessed the unconditional love and blind faith Kurama had in him. Naruto did not say anything but simply pressed his little body against Kurama's paw and tried to hug him tightly, earning yet another chuckle from the giant fox.

"I think I will ask tou-chan about me joining the ANBU." Naruto said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

" **Are you sure Naruto? You will witness a lot more death and chaos in the ANBU.** " Kurama replied.

"I want to understand the world. Know the pain the people are going through outside this village. I believe if I can understand other people's needs and pain, I could better help them. I could better help protect my own village." Naruto answered.

'But… I also wish to protect Hinata. Whenever she is around me, she always gets hurt. Maybe… just maybe, if I stay away from her… then she will be safe… She would be better off...' Naruto thought to himself. Naruto knew it would hurt him, to stay away from her, to not see her. He did not know what made him think of her so much, but he wished to protect her, even if it meant going through pain himself. The blond looked at his friend and saw Kurama looking at him gravely. A few seconds passed as he saw Kurama nod his head ever so slightly.

" **I wouldn't stop you Naruto. But be careful of the decision you make. It could hurt you a lot more than you may think.** "

After all the years, they had spent with each other, Naruto was not even surprised of the fact that his friend realized his thoughts without him saying anything. There was no use denying what Kurama had just said and he never lied to his friend about his feelings. Soon enough, Naruto simply closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

It was a few hours later that Kurama shook awake the blonde as he sensed someone unknown approaching the blonde.

" **Someone's coming Naruto.** " Kurama said.

"I know… I know." Naruto replied as he yawned. Getting off from Kurama's paw, Naruto exited his mindscape just as he saw an ANBU wearing a Neko mask approach him. He couldn't see her face, but he found her purple hair to be very pretty.

"Hokage-sama wishes you to be in the council meeting, Naruto-kun." Said Neko gently. It had been years since Neko had last seen Naruto. Neko was her ANBU codename, while her real name was Yugao Uzuki, a student of Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze. She often took care of Naruto when he was around one year old, along with her friend Kurenai Yuhi.

"Uhm… okay." Naruto said as he jumped off the cliff to a nearby building and started to make his way towards the Hokage Tower, along with Neko.

For a few seconds, Naruto wondered if he knew her, but he couldn't seem to remember it.

"Do I know you miss?" Naruto asked in confusion. He heard Neko giggle a bit and wondered if he had asked something stupid.

"No, I don't think you know me. But I did look after you when you were just a year old." Neko replied with a smile behind her mask.

"Oh." Naruto said. He honestly did not know what to say. So, he decided to stay quiet until they reached the Council Room.

* * *

 _ **Council Room, Hokage Tower**_

It was around ten in the morning now and all the clan heads of the clans residing in Konoha had been informed of the council meeting that would be taking place. The news of the Uchiha massacre had spread across the whole village by this time and a lot of people in the village grieved over this sudden incident. The information about the perpetrator was that it was Danzo Shimura, one of the elders, that had killed off majority of the Uchiha Clan with the help of his secret ANBU forces called ROOT and fled the village. After discussing the matter with Shikaku, Minato had updated the bingo book, listing Danzo Shimura as a S-Rank missing ninja from Konoha.

It was only the ANBU forces commanded by Kakashi Hatake- the ANBU Commander, Shikaku Nara- the Jounin Commander, Naruto, Itachi, Shisui and Minato who knew about the truth behind last night's incident. The Jounin were not given the entire details pertaining to their orders last night, just that they had to get the civilians to safety as soon as possible. Minato preferred to keep the truth of this incident to be known to as few number of people as possible due to its delicate nature. The Uchiha Clan has always been a major part of Konohagakure no Sato. So, for the village to know that they were planning a coup to take over the village would be a major blow. Minato knew the main man to be at fault behind all this mess was Danzo and he wouldn't let one man sully his clan's reputation.

Currently, Minato sat on the Hokage's seat with the civilian council members sitting to his left while the shinobi council members sat to his right and Kakashi, being the ANBU Commander, stood to Minato's right, behind him. Itachi, Shisui and Sai, who were also involved in last night's incident, stood near the doors of the Council Room.

Most of the members of the Civilian council included the wealthy civilians of the village who were either property owners, business dealers and shop owners, while the shinobi council included the clan heads of all the major clans in Konoha, Shikaku Nara- head of the Nara Clan, Choja Akimichi- head of the Akimichi Clan, Inoichi Yamanaka- head of the Yamanaka Clan, Shibi Aburame- head of the Aburame Clan, Tsume Inuzuka- head of the Inuzuka Clan, Hiashi Hyuuga- head of the Hyuuga Clan and Unaki Kurama- head of the Kurama Clan.

The atmosphere in the room was tense and most of the people were quiet, waiting for their Hokage to speak. Minato sat up right on his seat as he felt Naruto near the Council Room. A few seconds later, the door to the council room opened and in walked the youngest Namikaze. Several members of the civilian council started to whisper among themselves as they saw the boy who they knew to be a demon in disguise. Most people in the room stared at Naruto's right eye and shuddered a little. Even though majority of the population had come to accept Naruto as a normal boy, there were still those who couldn't let go the roots of their hatred.

"Hokage-sama." Naruto greeted his father curtly. He knew when to call his father informally and formally. He felt the prying eyes of many of the civilian council members on him when he entered the room and found it disrespectful that they would be whispering among themselves in the presence of the Hokage. He looked around and was surprised to see Sai over here too. He had completely forgotten about the boy. He too was curious as to why one of his classmates was here. However, Naruto merely walked to Kakashi's side and stood patiently beside him. Kakashi glanced towards Naruto and was intrigued about the blonde's right eye, but decided to ask him later about it.

Minato nodded his head as he looked around the council room once before starting the session.

"As I suppose everyone knows by now, the Uchiha Clan was massacred last night by one of the elders of Konoha, Danzo Shimura, along with his secret ANBU forces which he calls ROOT." Minato stated.

"Hokage-sama, do we know the reason behind his traitorous actions?" Tsume asked angrily. Tsume belonged to the Inuzuka Clan and thus largely believed in unity among the pack, which she views as family. And everyone within Konoha was like a family to her. So, it was devastating for her to know that one of Konoha's influential people would do something so drastic.

"I'm afraid we still haven't found anything consequential that would help us to get a foothold on Danzo's plan by doing this. But one his shinobi, Sai…" Minato said as he pointed towards the pale looking boy. Minato had taken Sai to the Hokage's office early in the morning and questioned him personally to know any details he could find regarding Danzo.

"… was able to give us some useful information regarding Danzo and his works in and out of the village. The information acquired is critical to the security of the village, hence, I won't be sharing it." Minato briefed. Minato heard many people concluding Sai being a traitor and raised his hand to put a stop to further discussion. Meanwhile, Naruto was highly surprised to know that his friend used to work for the man responsible for his clan's fate and hurting Hinata. He felt a slight anger rising inside himself, but calmed himself down knowing Sai had no part in what happened last night.

"You do not need to worry about his loyalty. He has sworn to protect this village and I believe him. His involvement in the Root was a tragic incident which was not under his control. Thus, it would be wrong to blame him for the doings of another man." Said the Hokage.

"Were there any casualties, Hokage-sama?" Inoichi voiced his concerns.

"Fortunately, there weren't. Shisui worked undercover in Danzo's Root Anbu and informed me beforehand of Danzo's plan. So, I was able to formulate a quick plan with some help to counter Danzo's attack." Minato replied.

"…and what of any survivors from the Uchiha Clan?" Choja asked.

"Mikoto Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha and Shishui Uchiha are the only survivors that we know of as of now." Minato stated somewhat sadly. Everyone among the shinobi council knew that Minato was an Uchiha and for him to lose his clan must have been tragic too.

"Hokage-sama, if I may ask, why is that boy here? And where are the elders Homura-sama and Koharu-sama?" asked one of the civilian councilman accusingly. He was Bensa Ushimara, a wealthy property dealer in Konoha. He lost his wife and parents during the Kyubi attack a decade ago and had hated Naruto ever since.

Before Minato could reply, Hiashi stood up from his seat and released a fair bit of his chakra to ascertain his position.

"That boy, whom you so call disrespectfully, has saved my daughter, heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, twice from imminent danger and is the son of your Yondaime Hokage. He does more for this village than you people could ever hope to achieve." Hiashi stated furiously. He had seen how many of the villagers treated young Naruto in his early life and it infuriated him. Hiashi had seen with his own eyes the bodies of hundreds of Root Anbu lying on the ground last night when he went to pick up Hinata and was astonished by the boy's battle prowess. Even though the boy had proved himself to the village on two important occasions, he couldn't understand these civilians' simpleton minds. Naruto looked towards the Hyuuga Clan head gratefully and nodded his head as a sign of thanks. The councilman who had spoken and the others warily looked among themselves and decided to keep quiet unless they were asked to speak. Some of them knew, they were mainly called here as a courtesy because the matter being discussed right now fell entirely under the shinobi council.

As Hiashi sat down, Minato cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"As for Homura and Koharu, I believe they were involved in many of the crimes committed by Danzo earlier and such have been detained for further questioning. Also, due to this unfortunate incident, I have decided to put the village under Martial Law. Therefore, the civilian council will not be needed anymore." Minato said firmly.

"WHAT!?"

"You can't do that! The Nidaime Hokage created the civilian council!" Said many of the outraged civilian council members.

"During times of emergency, it is within my power to make that decision. Now, I believe there is no further use of your council. Thus, you may excuse yourselves from the council room." Minato said professionally.

While some of the civilian council members left without uttering another word, some were not so willing to leave without an argument. However, they were forcibly removed thereafter by the ANBU. Many of the clan heads smirked, looking at the civilian council members. It was known to most that the shinobi and civilian council members never got along with each other, mainly due to civilian council always using underhanded tactics to usurp more power for themselves. Now that Danzo, Koharu and Homura were probably gone for good, the shinobi council believed that the village would be able to function on better terms without any major conflicts among the authorities.

With the civilian council out of the room, Shibi Aburame voiced his thoughts.

"Would you tell us what really was young Naruto's role in last night's attack from Danzo, Hokage-sama?"

Minato chuckled a little, expecting a question like that from Shibi. He had always been too good to catch on to hidden tactics.

"Danzo had sent around two hundred of his men to the Namikaze Compound to kill me. Since my presence was required elsewhere, Naruto decided to take care of them on my behalf." Minato said proudly.

Literally every clan head in the room apart from Shikaku and Hiashi gasped on hearing that bit of information. Their eyes turned to Naruto who was calmly standing beside the Hokage. They couldn't believe that a mere ten year old could do that amount of damage. Moreover, they wondered what Minato had been teaching to his child.

"You must be joking Hokage-sama…? It does not seem logical…" Shibi sputtered out.

"It's true. I saw the bodies of the dead Root Anbus myself." Kakashi spoke for the first time.

"He may look young, but he is far stronger than me or even the Sannins for that matter. Only Hokage-sama could go up against Naruto here, I believe." Kakashi said with pride evident in his voice. He had helped nurture Naruto when he was young and he was proud to have been a part of it.

Seeing as everything he intended to discuss was over, Minato adjourned the council until next the session. Most of the shinobi council members glanced towards Naruto before they left the council room, some proudly for his service towards the village while some wary of the young boy's immense power.

As Naruto saw everyone leave the room, he walked towards Hiashi and stood before him politely.

"Hiashi-sama, if I may ask something of you?" Naruto asked.

"Of course, Naruto-kun. What could I do for you?" Hiashi questioned.

"I would like to visit Hinata-chan for a few minutes. I realize she must be resting right now. But only for a few minutes, if possible…?" Naruto asked somewhat childishly.

Hiashi stared into the young blonde's eyes as if searching for something. When all he saw was pure concern, he nodded his head.

Naruto smiled for being given the permission, knowing Hinata's father could be rather strict at times. He bid goodbye to his father, Kakashi, Itachi and Shisui and walked out the Hokage Tower, following Hiashi.

* * *

 _ **Hyuuga Compound**_

Even though Naruto had visited the Hyuuga Compound earlier on many occasions, he was still mesmerized by how beautiful it looked. As he walked through the halls of the Main House, he saw the beautiful garden to his right with an aesthetic looking koi pond in it. The garden looked simply astonishing with the different kinds and colors of flowers that were there. It showed the touch of a woman, Naruto often felt. In the Namikaze Compound, it was mainly his father and himself. So, no one really took a lot of time to look after the flowers or the pond in their garden.

As he reached outside of Hinata's room, Naruto calmed himself, for this would be the last time he would see Hinata for a while. He had made up his mind in joining the ANBU and he knew his father couldn't refute his decision. His talents would only be wasted in the academy and in the normal shinobi forces. He had the strength to go toe to toe with Kage level shinobis, so he knew he could take care of himself. He wanted to experience the world outside, get to know how different shinobi villages worked and looked like. Moreover, he wanted to protect those he loved.

'A shinobi lives and protects in the shadows. To be a shinobi means to sacrifice and endure everything.' Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto steadied himself and knocked on her door. A few seconds later, he smiled a little as he heard her gentle voice.

"Who is it?" asked Hinata.

"It's me, Hinata-chan." Naruto replied happily.

Hinata weakly got out of her bed walked towards the door slowly to open it, all the while having a smile on her face. Naruto saw the door open and his smile became even wider the moment he saw those white eyes and dark blue colored hair. Hinata immediately hugged him tightly but loosened her grip the next second when her wound started to hurt again a little. Even though her stomach wound was healed entirely, it still hurt her a lot at times.

"You shouldn't move too much, Hinata-chan." Naruto advised. He chuckled when he saw her pout a little.

"I'm okay Naruto-kun. Thank you for asking." Hinata said in mock anger as she walked back to sit on her bed. As Naruto went inside her room, he thought of sitting on a chair beside her bed but ended up sitting beside her when she pulled him.

Hinata's smile turned sad when she saw his right eye. The ghastly images of those shinobi holding a tantō to her stomach, Naruto clutching to her tightly as he bled and the darkness she felt from Naruto when he killed all those shinobis. She gently moved her right hand over his right eye.

"What happened to your eye Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata a bit sadly.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. You know how my sharingan normally evolves yes? I suppose it's probably the next stage of my eyes. It's a special eye, since not everyone can awaken it." Naruto explained without giving her much information about his rinnegan.

"Are you feeling okay? I'm sorry I came to visit you last night. I hadn't seen you in a few days and I had gotten a bit worried. That's why I had decided to go to your house." Hinata said with a shaky voice.

Naruto lifted his left arm and gently poked her on the forehead with his index and middle finger, earning a yelp from Hinata.

"None of it was your fault silly. I should be asking you if you're feeling okay, not the other way around, you know." Naruto said with a smile.

"But… those shinobi… they tried to… kill you and… you had to kill them all… because of me…" Hinata whispered as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Naruto's face hardened as he remembered the shinobis who tried to hurt her but calmed down immediately. He put both his hands on her shoulders and made her look at his face.

"I promise, no one will ever try to hurt you again. I will always be there to protect you, you know? So, don't worry. You should just focus on getting more rest and getting better soon." Naruto said with care.

Hinata nodded her head as she moved closer to him and hugged again, albeit a bit loosely this time. As a few seconds passed, Naruto got out of her hands and moved off the bed.

"I have to leave now, Hinata-chan. Jiraiya oji-chan will be coming anytime now. So, I should go meet him. I only came to check up on you today…" Naruto said apologetically, trying to make it sound as believable as possible.

"Will you come visit me tomorrow?" Hinata asked gently. Naruto's feelings started to trouble him greatly with each passing second and he didn't know if he could hold on to his decision much longer if he were to stay for a few more minutes.

"Of course, I will… You just rest okay?" Naruto whispered as he turned around to leave the room.

"I will wait for you Naruto-kun." Hinata said in a voice, just above a whisper. Naruto left the room as a lone tear dropped from his eye. He shut his eyes as he felt the guilt inside him become larger. He had to remember that he was doing this for her… but why did it have to hurt so bad?

'Forgive me Hinata… I'm so sorry...'

As he shunshined out of the Hyuuga Compound, he did not notice a pair of white eyes belonging to a grown woman that were sadly looking at the entire scene.

'I hope whatever you are thinking Naruto-kun, does not end up changing the people around you.' Hitomi thought.

* * *

 _ **Evening, Namikaze Compound**_

After Naruto had left the Hyuuga Compound, he went straight to the Hokage Monument and spent the next few hours sitting on top of the Yondaime's head just staring at the setting sun. He spent most of his time reconsidering his decision to join the ANBU. He knew, if he did, he would be spending little to no time in the village and would rarely get time to spend either with his father, Jiraiya or others he cared for. But, he knew if he became an ANBU, he could always protect his loved ones and even Hinata from the shadows until the time she was ready to defend herself.

"I guess, it's time for you to come out of the cage my friend…" Naruto whispered.

" **So, you're really doing it?** " Kurama asked surprised. Even though the fox knew Naruto wasn't lying, it was still somewhat hard for him to believe this.

"I would never lie to you Kurama." Naruto replied.

Without saying another word, Naruto shunshined to the Namikaze Compound, intent on asking his father about unlocking the cage and his request to join the ANBU. Just as he was about to enter the doors, he felt three chakra signatures, with the two of them being extremely large. He knew whose one of them belonged to, while he could only guess the other two.

Naruto turned around and waited a few minutes until he saw three people walk in through the main gates of the Namikaze Compound. His eyes began to water a bit as the larger of the three hastily walked right up to him and engulfed him in a hug. It had been so long since he had hugged his precious godfather.

"Jiraiya oji-chan…" Naruto whispered somberly as he wrapped his arms around the Toad Sannin's torso.

A few seconds later, Naruto looked behind Jiraiya and saw a blond lady along with a young black haired girl carrying a pig. With his rinnegan, he could see the blond lady had a **henge** jutsu around herself to hide her actual appearance.

Naruto walked up to the blonde haired lady and stopped in front of her. Tsunade warily looked at Naruto for a few seconds but averted her eyes, feeling guilty of never having visited him earlier in her life. Jiraiya often sent her letters from time to time writing about Naruto along with pictures of him, but she could never muster up enough courage to come back to Konoha.

Naruto felt the different emotions that were flowing through her heart and he understood that she didn't leave him willingly, rather the choices that made her unable to step foot in her own home.

"Okasan…" Naruto greeted her with a little smile.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. Next chapter for this story will be mostly out by May 3, 2017.**

 **I know, I did not show Sasuke's reaction to the Uchiha Massacre in this chapter, but that will be definitely shown in the next one along with the relation between Sasuke and Naruto. He** **also met his godmother, Tsunade for the first time, so how their relationship spans out will also be shown along with Kurama being finally freed from the cage and Naruto requesting his father to join the ANBU Black ops. I may or may not include a short time skip next chapter to show the beginning of Naruto's time in the ANBU. What Danzo did after leaving the village and who meets up with, will also be shown in the coming chapter.**

 **I do intend to keep at least three to four chapters for solely during Naruto's time in the ANBU. I will be including a lot of events that happen to him, the experiences he goes through, the people he meets and few glimpses of how Konoha 11 will progress during the time Naruto was away.**

 **I'm really glad to see so many positive reviews about this story and it makes me want to write this story even more. So, a big thank you from me to all those who read and those who took time to review the story.**

 **Again, do follow and favorite the story if you come to like it! And please take some time to review it, to let me know how you feel about it and how I may improve upon it.**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! So, I had gotten kind of busy during the entire weekend and I didn't get much time to finish the chapter earlier. Well, its done now.**

 **Now, in this chapter, Naruto finally asks his father to join the ANBU and the seal holding Kurama is also undone. And no, Kurama is not out of Naruto, he's just outside the seal now. The scene I have shown between Naruto and Sasuke, is just the start of their relationship. And, Sasuke won't change just after that talk. He will change through the experiences he will go through. He will think hard on what Naruto told him and then decide for himself. Now, I do believe Kurama knows a bit about the mangekyo sharingan, due to Madara putting him under a genjutsu and controlling him. In overall, this chapter just leads to Naruto joining the ANBU.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let's continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Moving Ahead**

* * *

"Okasan…" Naruto greeted her with a little smile.

Glancing back towards the blond, Tsunade was taken aback to see the warmth and understanding his eyes held. She would have said something about his right eye, having never seen a doujutsu like that, but she held that thought away. She moved closer and stood right in front of him. She noticed he was about four feet and eleven inches, being only a few inches shorter than her.

Without saying anything further, she hugged him tightly as a few tears dropped from her eyes. Jiraiya and Shizune smiled, seeing her this way. They both knew how tough the past had been for her in Konoha and for her to come back to the village was a big step. But if one were to notice the Toad Sannin carefully, he had a thoughtful look on his face. The moment he had seen Naruto's right eye, he knew what it was. Having taught a child earlier at the end of Second Shinobi War, Jiraiya knew quite a bit about the rinnegan.

"I'm so sorry. I should have come sooner…" whispered Tsunade softly in his ear. Wrapping his arms around his godmother, Naruto hugged her back. A few seconds later, she let go of Naruto and cupped his cheeks gently. She noticed how eerily similar Naruto looked to his grandfather, Madara. She had met the man only on a couple of occasions when she was just a child. Despite that similarity, she observed how much he resembled his parents.

"You look so much like your parents, Naruto." Tsunade said with a smile, as she stood up. Having heard that on many occasions, Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a slight chuckle.

"We should get going inside. Tou-chan must be waiting Jiraiya oji-chan, Okasan…" Naruto looked at the brunette woman awkwardly, not knowing who she was. Shizune saw the confusion on his face and realized she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"I'm Shizune Kato. I have been travelling with Tsunade-sama since I was young." Shizune introduced herself gently. She had always been interested in meeting with young Naruto. She had known his mother Kushina from her academy and genin days in Konoha.

"It is nice to meet you, Shizune-chan." Naruto replied with a small smile.

"Alright, let's get inside and talk, shall we? We need to meet Minato anyway." Jiraiya stated. Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune picked up the seriousness in his voice and nodded their heads. Without another thought, all four of them walked into the house.

* * *

 _ **The Library Room, Namikaze Compound**_

Minato sat on his desk going through the paperwork for the reconstruction of some of the buildings that were damaged during last night's attack. Even though precautions were taken against them in the given amount of time, not all the locations were covered in time, mainly the ones hit due to the explosive tags. As he flipped through the pages, he clicked his tongue in irritation as he found several complaints from the former civilian council members about their sudden discharge. Taking those out of the pile of papers, Minato kept them in a separate folder which normally contained documents which were irrelevant to the functioning of the village.

Going back to the previous papers, Minato sighed, looking at large pile that was still left. Yesterday's attack, which was led by Danzo, had taken a larger toll on the village than he had thought. The Uchiha Clan had provided quality shinobi since the founding of the village to serve as village protection as well as to fight on the front lines during times of attack. With majority of them gone now, the number of shinobi in the regular shinobi forces had reduced drastically. He was aware that in the last decade or so, due to the temporary peace, several of the villages' shinobi system had become lax. Due to that, most of the students graduating from the academy were not well versed with the shinobi lifestyle. Many took solace in the temporary peace that has reigned over the five great nations, and most shinobi did not train themselves further to advance their skills.

'Maybe I should increase the graduating age of the current academy student. That way, they will have more time to learn about the practicalities of shinobi life and possess more advanced skills to better help them survive outside the village.' Minato thought. He was so busy in his thoughts that he did not hear the approaching footsteps or the sound of the room's door opening.

"Tou-chan?" Naruto called out as he saw his father spacing out in his thoughts. Minato came out of his inner musings when he heard his son's voice. Looking towards the door, he was relieved to see Naruto along with Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune. He smiled a little on seeing a Slug Sannin. It had been a long time since he had last seen her.

"Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama, Shizune. You guys came earlier than I expected." Minato said as he got up from his seat to greet them. Getting inside the room, Jiraiya and Tsunade took the seats in front of Minato's table, while Naruto stood beside is father's desk and Shizune stood beside her master.

"I suppose it was about time I got back to Konoha. It's been many years since I was gone." Tsunade said, albeit a bit somberly.

"It is good to see you again, Tsunade-sama. I wish it were under better circumstances however." Minato replied. Tsunade bitterly nodded. Despite not having much contact with the Uchiha Clan, she knew they were an important part of Konoha and their loss was a tragic event.

"How are you doing, Shizune?" Minato asked.

"I… uh… have been well Hokage-sama." Shizune said. It was her first time standing before the Yondaime Hokage. She had heard great tales about the man, who single handedly won Konoha the Third Shinobi War. In a way, she admired him for his duties to Konoha.

"So, what did you need me for?" Tsunade questioned bluntly.

"Well, I have given much thought to it. With the loss of the Uchiha Clan, the number of shinobi in our regular ninja forces have reduced greatly. The Uchiha Clan provided shinobi proficient in all arts, varying from taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu and even medical ninjutsu. So, I would like you to look you to take control of the hospital, look over the shinobi who want to pursue medical ninjutsu and the medical advancement in Konoha. With the way things are moving forward in the Elemental Nations right now, I don't want to take any chances." Minato said seriously.

Tsunade seemed to be in deep thought, going over her options about whether to stay in the village. Everyone she cared for in this village had died due to the constant war that plagued the Great Five nations. Looking at the uncertainty that came over her face, Jiraiya understood what she was thinking about.

"He's right Tsunade. You should stay in the village. There's no one better than you in the medical field currently. I know you have lost almost everyone you cared for in this village, but it doesn't have be that way anymore. With your help, we can prevent the losses we may have. More people can be taught the value of medical ninjutsu. It won't be like the past… You don't have to hide anymore. If you look around, you still have family left in this place." Jiraiya said comfortingly. Minato understood it was a hard decision for her to make. But he hoped she would make the right decision.

Tsunade's eyes moved to Naruto briefly, who was standing quietly beside the desk with his eyes closed. The way he was standing, it seemed to her that he has experienced his own share of sorrow and grief. She was aware there was nothing stopping her to leave the village right now but she still couldn't get the feeling out of her when he called her Okasan.

'I could get used to that…' she thought as she smiled a little.

"I suppose I could stay…" Tsunade said softly. Minato and Jiraiya both sighed in relief hearing that answer. None of them were willing to force her stay. Shizune was especially glad that Tsunade chose to stay in the village, since she always wanted to stay too.

"But I will build the medical staff according to my own rules and I get to pick who will be working in the hospital. I will be evaluating everyone's skills to make sure whether they are qualified enough or not." Tsunade said firmly.

"That is alright, Tsunade-sama. The medical department of Konoha will fall completely under your authority." Minato said with a chuckle.

"It better be." Tsunade murmured quietly. Minato gave an awkward chuckle upon hearing that.

"For the time being, you and Shizune can stay in the Namikaze Compound, if you'd like. The Senju compound was not rebuilt after the Kyubi attack ten years ago but it should be done shortly. You should get some rest now. You probably travelled a long way to get here. You and Shizune may start working tomorrow morning." Minato offered. Tsunade nodded and a few seconds later, both Tsunade and Shizune left the room to their bedrooms to get some rest.

Once Tsunade and Shizune had left the room, Minato made a hand seal to activate the privacy seals within the room.

"What took you so long to get here, Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato asked gravely.

"When you contacted me, I was outside the Kumogakure border. Their quietness and neutrality in the past few years seemed suspicious to me. You do realize, A, the Yondaime Raikage is the son of Sandaime Raikage and that man was as vicious and hot headed as they come. However, I did gather a bit of information." Jiraiya stated.

Minato was well aware of A. They both had met each other on a few occasions during the Third Shinobi War. Despite not being as strong as his father, A was a formidable opponent who excelled in taijutsu due to his immense physical strength and raiton ninjutsu.

"Continue…" Minato said.

"They have been increasing their military strength over the past few years. If I were to estimate, their overall military strength might be greater than ours. However, I wouldn't be sure how good each of them are individually. Also, they have been training the jinchuriki who holds the Two Tails and it's the Hachibi jinchuriki who's been training her." Jiraiya briefed.

Keeping his elbows on the table, Minato rested his chin on his hands. Despite being on neutral terms with each other, Konoha and Kumo have never been on good terms so to speak. He knew as an enemy, Kumogakure would be a dangerous pick, but as an ally, it could turn out to be beneficial for both nations.

"I will see what I can do about Kumogakure later. I don't think making an enemy out of them would be wise. We have already cut off all ties with Iwagakure. Kumogakure would be risky as it is. Our relationship with Sunagakure is on thin ice right now anyway. The Land of Wind's Daimyo has been giving us a lot of missions in the past few years which should have been given to Sunagakure in the first place. So, I have been giving off some of the excess missions to the Kazekage." Minato said with a sigh after a few seconds of silence. He saw his sensei staring at Naruto thoughtfully and wondered what he was thinking.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto and had this feeling that something about him changed. Not physically, but his mindset. He remembered how Nagato had changed slightly when he awakened the rinnegan. To this day, a day hadn't passed when Jiraiya did not think of the three children he had taught so they could fend for themselves amid war.

"How did you awaken that eye, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked somberly. The Sannin knew that however he may have gained that eye, the reason must have been something tragic to the blond, something that caused him a lot pain.

"Maybe someday, I will tell you… Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto replied frankly. There were not many times when Naruto called Jiraiya as sensei. Jiraiya understood not to push him too much.

"How many casualties were there last night? On the way, I heard Mikoto and her two children were still alive." Jiraiya questioned as he looked towards Minato.

"Hai. You heard right. I haven't gotten time to speak to Mikoto yet about how she is though. I have been busy the entire day. Mikoto, Itachi, Sasuke and Shisui are the only ones alive from the Uchiha Clan. The rest of Danzo's men were killed last night who took part in the attack. However, I believe he only sent his men to kill me near the compound." Minato replied.

"So, you took care of all of them, right? Danzo and his men need to be put down at any cost. I had warned Sarutobi-sensei about him earlier and now look how it turned out." Jiraiya said a bit sadly.

"Yes, they are all dead. But it wasn't me. Naruto killed them all." Minato said as he pointed at his son and was not surprised to see his sensei's shocked face. Jiraiya was only under the impression that Minato, Itachi, Shisui and the ANBU took part in last night's assault. Minato turned towards Naruto as he noticed he had been standing there quietly for a long time.

"Did you need anything Naru?" Minato asked tiredly with a yawn. He had been working the whole day and his body was starting to feel slightly tired. Naruto didn't know why, but he felt a little hesitant in asking his father about his request.

"It can wait till tomorrow, tou-chan. You should sleep too, you know. You must be exhausted." Naruto replied truthfully. One look in his son's eye and Minato knew there was something Naruto was hiding or not willing to tell right now. He was about to say something further, but was stopped by Naruto.

"I should go talk to Sasuke. I haven't spoken to him after last night." Naruto said as he turned around and began to walk out of the room.

"I will see you tomorrow, Jiraiya oji-chan." Naruto said as he walked out.

Jiraiya and Minato both stayed silent for a few more minutes after Naruto left. The Toad Sannin looked at his student a bit sadly, knowing well that Naruto had a habit of often keeping things to himself rather than talking about it.

"How has he been after last night?"

"I… don't know Jiraiya-sensei. I'm a bit worried."

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

" **What happened, Naruto?** " Kurama asked. He had never seen the blond hesitant about anything in front of Minato and it concerned him.

"I don't know, Kurama. It's fine. I will talk to him tomorrow morning. He looked tired now anyway." Naruto replied to his friend.

" **Do you want to talk about it?** "

"Not now…" Naruto said in a whisper. Kurama understood what Naruto was feeling and just kept quiet for now.

Naruto really was worried about Sasuke. While he loved the Uchiha Clan and grieved their loss, he knew the attachment Sasuke had to the clan was much greater than his own. Even though he did not like him much, they both belonged to the same clan and as such, Naruto felt he should get to understand him better. So, after leaving the library, Naruto made his way to Mikoto's room so he could talk to Sasuke and see how he was doing.

After a few minutes, Naruto came in front of the room Mikoto was staying and knocked on it. After not getting any reply for a while, Naruto knocked again, getting a bit worried. When the blond didn't get any reply again, he slowly opened the door and peeked inside. A small smile came upon his face when he found her to be sleeping, tucked under a blanket. The moonlight falling on her face through the window indeed made her look beautiful and he wished she would always look so peaceful. But he knew it wouldn't be possible. Not when she knew her family was dead, that the reason for her family's death was out there somewhere, roaming free. Again, Naruto felt the same sensation of anger rising within him, but calmed himself down.

'I can't blame her for sleeping this early. Last night's events must have taken a heavy burden on her mind. I shouldn't disturb her right now.' Naruto thought as he quietly shut the door. Closing his eyes, Naruto tried to sense Sasuke's chakra and was surprised not to find him, Itachi, Shisui or Sai anywhere in the house. Expanding his sensing range, Naruto opened his eyes a few seconds later when he found Itachi and Sasuke at the Naka Shrine, while Shisui and Sai were together in another building to the west of Namikaze Compound.

* * *

 _ **At the Naka Shrine**_

It was a particularly chilly night and the full moon in the sky illuminated the area, showing the blood that was spilled not even a day ago. The wind flowing in the area made it clearer to both about the emptiness that had surrounded the compound. It had been a few hours since the two were standing here. While the younger one simply stared at the place which was abuzz with life a day ago, the elder one gazed at his brother's back in sadness and contemplation.

Sasuke had woken up around one in the afternoon and ever since hadn't spoken much to anyone, apart from his mother and brother. Even when he was told about his father's death, he gave no reaction. His black eyes showed the emptiness he felt inside himself and the hatred that was storming in his mind. Hatred for the one man who was responsible for the death of his father and his members of the clan. He clenched his fists tightly as he remembered of how pitiful and useless he was in being able to protect his mother and clan members when those shinobi showed up last night unexpectedly.

'Why… Why am I so… weak?'

'Why couldn't I… protect them?' Sasuke thought furiously.

Itachi stood a few distances behind his brother and had a very conflicted look on his face. On one hand, he knew he shouldn't tell Sasuke about the truth about the Uchiha Clan because there was a good chance Sasuke would start resenting the village for that, but on the other hand, he felt obliged to tell him because of the guilt he felt. He understood what he did was right. But there have been times when he wondered, did it have to go down the way it went? Did people have to die so others could live in peace? He was brought out of his musings when he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. Looking to his side, he wasn't surprised to see that it was Naruto.

"You should get some rest Itachi nii-san. I will talk to Sasuke…" Naruto said in a low voice. Itachi felt a little hesitant at first, but one look in the blonde's eyes showed him the concern and understanding it held. Simply nodding his head, the ANBU Captain shunshined out of the area. Turning his head towards the raven haired boy, Naruto stared at him firmly. Sometimes, he wished that he did not have the ability to sense what people were feeling. There were so many different emotions he felt from people that he often lost track of what he himself felt. Ever since he gained access to his chakra, he could sense what other people were feeling- their love, their sadness, their anger and their hate. Naruto felt it all and right now he was sensing all those emotions from Sasuke.

Walking towards him, Naruto stood beside Sasuke. Both merely stood and looked at the Naka Shrine. The place was yet to be cleaned and most of the shrine's walls was covered in blood of the fallen Uchihas. Now that Naruto thought about it, even though he had come to this place several times, not once had he stepped foot inside the shrine. Glancing towards Sasuke, he saw his face was deprived of any emotion.

"You hate it, don't you?" Naruto asked solemnly. Sasuke merely stood there and stared at the Naka shrine while ignoring Naruto's question. Images of his family kept flashing in front of his eyes and of all the time he had spent with everyone.

"Why did it have to be the Uchiha clan? What did they do to deserve this fate? Is that what you're wondering Sasuke?" Naruto asked again. Naruto frowned when all he got was silence from Sasuke.

"It's because they were weak. They thought they were above everyone else and they paid the price by being killed mercilessly." Naruto stated coldly. The very next moment, the blond found himself pinned down to the ground by Sasuke who was glaring at him with murderously with his sharingan. Even though Naruto could swat him away easily, he made no effort to do so. He knew there was only way to reach out to Sasuke and make him understand the importance of the village.

"SHUT UP! You don't know anything about the Uchiha Clan!" Yelled Sasuke.

"Is that the extent of your hate, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Wh…what?" Sasuke asked as his eyes widened a little.

"I asked, is that all the hate you have SASUKE!?" Naruto said as chakra rushed out of his body, pushing the raven haired Uchiha away from him. Standing up, Naruto dusted his t-shirt to remove the dirt that had stuck to it. Looking straight ahead of him, he saw Sasuke weakly standing up and glaring at him.

"Danzo killed your father and most of your family and that is the extent of your hate? Pathetic…" Naruto said flatly. Sasuke rushed towards Naruto and tried to punch him in the jaw, but was pushed to the ground harshly when Naruto ducked under his punch and swept his legs. Sasuke fell on the ground with a loud thud as Naruto elbowed him with his left hand.

"Wh… why are you doing this?" Sasuke asked a bit of blood began to flow out of his mouth.

"Do you want to kill Danzo and his men? Do you want to avenge your father's and family's death?" Naruto asked as he stared right into Sasuke's blood red eyes. Sasuke shuddered a bit when he saw Naruto's right eye as the wind blew over his hair to the side.

"I… I want to kill him one day. I want to make him pay for laying his hands on the Uchiha Clan." Sasuke said murderously. Naruto smiled darkly on seeing the hatred in his eyes. It was so… so pure and filled full of rage.

"Then, use that hatred against him. Hate him… Curse him, and when the time comes, kill him for his crimes against the Uchiha." Naruto said coldly. He knew what he was doing probably wasn't the best way morally. But, with the right motive, even hatred could be used for good. Sasuke averted his eyes when he heard those words.

"You are not weak, Sasuke." Naruto said, this time his voice much softer than before. He understood what Sasuke was feeling. The doubt whether he would be strong enough to kill him or not. It was understandable.

"Fight for the reasons I've said and you will find strength that is immeasurable. Save your hatred for the enemies. Hatred can be a powerful tool Sasuke. Use it wisely." Naruto said. Giving his hand to Sasuke, he helped him get up and once again, the two stood facing the Naka shrine.

"How can I get strong, Naruto?" Sasuke asked after a few moments of silence.

"You still have your brother, mother and Shisui alive with you. Fight for them. Fight to protect them. Fight to protect this village. When Danzo decided to attack the Uchiha Clan, he did not only wage war against them, but the entirety of Konoha. The whole village grieves the loss of Uchiha Clan. Fight to protect the village, fight to protect those you love and use your hatred to kill any enemies of Konoha." Naruto stated as his lone rinnegan stared at the moon in the night sky. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, simply staring at the moon.

Sasuke stared at Naruto's face and wondered what he went through to have him think like this. He was aware that Naruto was stronger than most of the people in Konoha and even stronger than his brother or Shisui, who were exceptionally strong too. Turning his attention back to the Naka shrine, Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. He knew he was lucky to still have his mother and brother alive and there wasn't anything wouldn't do to make sure they stayed safe. Unknown to him, Naruto had a small smile on his face who had already sensed Sasuke's feelings.

Sasuke was startled when he felt a hand on his face and but stopped from reacting when he felt a soothing sensation course through his body. Looking down, he saw Naruto's hand covered in green chakra and realized the blond was healing him using medical ninjutsu. Once Naruto was done, he turned around and began to walk away.

"Wait… Naruto?" Sasuke called hesitantly.

"Hai?" Naruto asked with his back still turned to Sasuke.

"Why would you help… someone like me?" Sasuke asked as he lowered his head. He couldn't understand the one person whom he tried to belittle every time would come to help him. Sasuke wasn't even sure if he ever disliked him. He just felt jealous that his brother and sometimes even his own father paid more attention to the blond rather than him. He wasn't even sure if the blond considered him a friend or not.

"You are forgetting something Sasuke. The Uchiha Clan… is my family too. We both are Uchiha and in a sense, we both could be called brothers. I will always be there to help you." Naruto whispered slowly, but he knew Sasuke heard each word clearly. A few tears dropped from Sasuke's eyes as he heard those words. But before he could say anything further to the blond, he saw Naruto disappear in a shunshin.

Sasuke stood in the clearing near the Naka Shrine for a few minutes as he stared up at the sky.

"Fight for those you love? Fight for the village… huh?" Sasuke thought out loud.

* * *

 _ **Four Hours Later, with Naruto**_

The pitch-black curtain draped over the night sky, and the twisted, warped shapes that the stars made against the eerie darkness of the sky made it difficult for Naruto to not take his eyes off the moon. It was hard for him to shove aside the worries corrupting his mind- worries that should not be troubling him. He didn't know what made him hesitant in asking his father about his decision to join the ANBU, but he couldn't keep that strange feeling out of his mind. And frankly, it was starting to annoy him a little. For the past few hours, Naruto sat on the terrace of his house, simply meditating. Since he was a child, his father and Jiraiya had taught him the value of meditating. Along with helping to clear one's mind, it helped one increase their focus as well as self-awareness.

Lying down flat on ground, Naruto's eye fell on the trillions of stars that twirled and danced along the sky in various patterns. Moving his hand on top of his right eye, the blond gained a look of curiosity.

'I wonder what this rinnegan can do?' Naruto thought. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know the capabilities of either his rinnegan or mangekyō sharingan. Apart from what he concluded that the rinnegan gave him absolute control over his chakra, he couldn't figure out anything else.

'Hey Kurama? Do you know anything about the two doujutsu? You have been around for so many millennia.' Naruto asked with a childlike curiosity.

" **Hmm… I can't tell you much about the rinnegan. The only other person in whom I have seen that doujutsu is the Rikudo Sennin. However, I do know two techniques of the mangekyō sharingan.** " Kurama stated rather bitterly at the end.

'Huh? What is it Kurama?' Naruto asked.

" **It's called Susanoo. Each mangekyō sharingan user manifests a gigantic humanoid being, made entirely out of the user's chakra that surrounds them and fights on their behalf. I have only seen Indra Ōtsutsuki** **and Madara Uchiha use those techniques.** " Kurama replied rather grumpily. He still couldn't forget how that damned Madara controlled him by using his mangekyō sharingan and made him fight against the tree hugger, Hashirama Senju.

'Really? Madara-sofu could use it too? And why do you sound so angry, huh?' Naruto asked he heard the fox mumble some angry incoherent words.

" **Another ability which the mangekyō sharingan grants the user is to put the bijuu in a genjutsu and control them. That damned Madara controlled me using his mangekyō when he fought against Hashirama.** " Kurama voiced seriously. Naruto remained quiet for a few minutes as he heard that piece of information. He knew about Shodai Hokage's and Madara Uchiha's last battle. But this was the first time he ever came across this fact and he knew Kurama would never lie to him about something like that. He also knew that his grandfather never viewed Konoha as his home due to the strained relationship between the Senju and the Uchiha Clan. At the same time, he was surprised that a mere doujutsu could control someone as powerful as the bijuu. He personally knew how strong Kurama was and he only contained half of the fox's chakra. He wondered how strong his friend would be if he had his Yin chakra too.

The blond was brought out of his musings when he felt his father walk up to the terrace. He wondered what he was doing up so late at night considering that he worked the whole day yesterday without much rest.

"Naru? How come you're still awake?" Minato asked as he walked towards Naruto.

"I wasn't really feeling sleepy. So, I thought I could get sit outside for a while." Naruto replied as he continued laying down on the ground. Minato sat down beside his son and looked all around himself. To this day, he was mesmerized by the view of the village he got from here. Tall trees acting as a shade over the entirety of Konoha, the Hokage Mountain on the left and the sound of the flowing river that could be heard in the stillness of the night. He saw Naruto sit up and shiver a bit in the cold and chuckled a bit at his expression. Taking his white haori off, he put it over Naruto to make him feel less cold.

"Thank you, tou-chan." Naruto whispered as he rubbed the palms of hands together. Naruto looked at his father from the corner of his eyes and saw how peaceful he looked. Just seeing his father smile made him feel as if all his problems were irrelevant. But he was also perplexed as to how his father always managed remain so calm, even in the toughest of situations.

"How do you do it, tou-chan?" Naruto asked in a low voice.

"Huh?" Minato asked as he looked at the little blond.

"How are you always so calm? Not even a day ago, our family was…" Naruto trailed off. Minato started laughing slowly, but soon enough he laughed a little louder when he understood what Naruto meant. Naruto stared at his father a little peevishly, thinking that his father was laughing at him. A few seconds later Minato stopped laughing and looked at Naruto with a smile.

"What?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms over his chest and looked the other way. However, his frown faded when he felt his father's hand on his hair.

"I wasn't always calm. I didn't even know if I could be a good Hokage…" Minato started saying. Naruto looked back at his father with curiosity.

"But you are the strongest and the bravest person I know, tou-chan!" Naruto said innocently.

"You know, your mother wanted to be Hokage too. She was the most hyper-active girl I had ever known. She always competed with me when we were in the academy and in our genin days. Yet, she always supported and helped me when I was chosen as the Hokage. She was always there to calm me down. Back then, it was Kushina who was always there for me… and now it's you, Naruto." Minato said softly. Minato patted his son's head gently when he saw Naruto stare at him with wide eyes.

"…I want to join the ANBU!" Naruto blurted out without thinking. Even Kurama smacked his paw on his face and laughed, seeing Naruto's stupid face at this moment.

"Wha… what?" Minato asked again. Naruto took a deep breath and calmed his nerves and looked straight into his father's eyes.

"I want to join the ANBU, tou-chan. I know you may think otherwise, but my skills will only be wasted in the regular shinobi forces. Also, I want to travel around the Elemental Nations. I want to know how people live in different villages, how the different villages work… I want to understand the people." Naruto said slowly. Minato stared at Naruto with a serious expression. To this point, Naruto had never asked for much and Minato knew Naruto wouldn't ask anything unless he had a good reason to.

"Why do you _really_ want to join the ANBU, Naruto? It's a very rough world to survive in. There are many people who don't make it out of ANBU with a sane mind and there is a lot of death you will see in there, Naruto." Minato asked gravely. Naruto merely stared at his father for a few seconds before he released a tired sigh.

"I want to get stronger, tou-chan. I'm not strong enough. I want to protect those who are close to me. I want to protect you, Jiraiya oji-chan, Mikoto oba-chan, Itachi, Shisui, Sasuke, my friends from the academy and everyone who are dear to me… I… I want to protect Hinata-chan. Whenever she is close to me, she always gets hurt." Naruto replied as he lowered his head. He was expecting his father to say something against his reasoning, but was surprised when he felt a hand ruffle his hair playfully. Looking up, he found his father looking at him with a smile.

"I am not going to make any decisions for you Naru. I believe you are strong enough to be allowed to make your decision. I am only here to guide you along the right path. If you want to join ANBU, I won't stop you. I will ask Kakashi to give you a test, to see if you are fit to be an ANBU agent." Minato said. Internally, Minato was proud of his son's reason in joining the ANBU. He knew how hard a place the ANBU world could be, since he too was once an ANBU agent. Once you are an ANBU, you are recognized among the elite shinobis of the village, expected to complete the most difficult of missions and are sworn to sacrifice your life for the welfare of the village. He knew, his son would one day become a shinobi who would be looked up to by everyone.

"Really, tou-chan?" Naruto whispered with wide eyes. He felt so relieved that his father understood him and supported him right now. Moving closer to his tou-chan, Naruto held him tightly, pouring all his emotions into that one hug. Minato had a small smile on his face, but at the same time, he was wondering what Kushina would do if she was here right now.

'She certainly would have killed me for sending him into the ANBU at such a young age.' Minato chuckled awkwardly in his mind.

"Eh, tou-chan? I wanted to ask something else too…" Naruto said after a few seconds.

"You certainly have a lot requests today." Minato replied. Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head upon hearing that.

"Alright, tell me. What is it?" Minato asked.

"Well… I was wondering if… Kurama could come out of that cage. He is my friend and I don't like seeing him behind the bars anymore." Naruto said softly. Slightly surprised by that request, Minato stared at Naruto for a good few minutes before saying,

"Let me talk to him." Understanding his request, Naruto gazed into his father's eye with his rinnegan and the next moment, both were in Naruto's mindscape before Kurama's cage.

" **Minato.** " Kurama said as he got up to his full height, towering a good height above Minato and Naruto. Even though Minato trusted Kurama, he did not have as much a good bond with the fox as his son did. So, he needed to know for himself if he could trust Kurama entirely and he knew that the fox probably felt the same thing about him.

"Can I trust you with Naruto's safety? I won't always be around with him, but I know you will be there for him always. So, tell me. I know you can tell that I already trust you enough, but as a father I need to be sure." Minato said firmly, getting straight to the point. There was no need to beat around the bush.

Kurama growled a bit at being questioned about his loyalty. Even though he was only a being a made of chakra given a conscience, he knew the value of family.

" **I will protect him with my life, when the time comes.** " Kurama said sincerely. When Naruto saw his friend looking at him, he was surprised to see the pure respect in his eyes. He had never seen such a look in Kurama's eyes. To Kurama, it was indeed a big thing. He had lived around humans for so long that all he could sense from them was hatred and the human's behavior towards the bijuu did not do anything less to decrease the hatred he felt towards the humans. So seeing Naruto fulfill a promise to him had further increased his respect towards the young Namikaze.

"I will hold you to your word, Kurama." Minato replied softly. Kurama merely nodded his head slightly and sat back down and rested his head on his paws as his large nine tails swished behind him. Minato then turned back to look at Naruto and saw the bond which Kurama and his son shared in his eyes. It warmed his heart to know that Naruto could change the heart of someone as misunderstood as the bijuu. A few seconds later, both father and son left the mindscape to get back to the real world.

"I will give you the key to open the seal Naruto…" Minato stated seriously, but held his hand up to stop Naruto from interrupting him.

"But you must be careful when to use your full strength. You are strong Naruto, exceptionally strong, if I must say. There will come a time when you will surpass even me and your grandfather. Being strong alone is not enough to survive. You must be smart. Power alone does not win wars. There is a lot of evil and lies and pain and death in this world, and you can't hide from it- you can only face it. But the question is that when you do, how do you respond?" Minato stated wisely. Naruto looked at his father with a look of contemplation. If not for the situation, Minato was sure he would have chuckled, looking at how hard his son was thinking

"You don't have to answer now, Naruto. All I'm saying is that, learn from the experiences you go through. Everything that you will go through will teach you something. Not all of them may be important, but they all are necessary. To be a shinobi means to endure the pain that you go through and to make sacrifices." Minato said as he bent down to Naruto's eye level.

"I promise I will one day make a world where you or anyone I love won't have to worry about anything and can live peacefully." Naruto said with determination. For a second, Minato was taken aback by those words, as he remembered his own father saying the very same words to him before he left.

"I know Naru… I know." Minato whispered. Getting up again, Minato clasped his hands together and suddenly a long toad came out of his mouth. It was a black and orange toad with dark markings around his eyes, mouth and circular mark just below his mouth. Naruto stared weirdly as well as in amazement at the toad who had a strange looking abdomen.

"What's the reason for calling me out, Minato?" asked the toad rather grumpily.

"Gerotora, I would like to sign the release form and hand over the seal's key to Naruto here." Minato said as he pointed towards Naruto standing beside him. Gerotora scrunched his eyes and seemed to be glaring at Naruto, but shook his head showing his dissatisfaction.

"Are you sure, Minato? Handing the young kid, the Kyubi's power? You don't even know if he could handle Kyubi's chakra!" Gerotora replied with narrowed eyes. Naruto's eyebrow started to twitch upon hearing that and mildly glared at the toad who was speaking.

"I was the one who made the decision to seal Kyubi's chakra into Naruto and I know what I am doing. I wanted him to master the Kyubi's chakra. I'm sure he will able to do it eventually." Minato said with a smile.

"Fine. If you say so, Minato." Gerotora said with a scoff. Minato sweat dropped a bit at the toad's rather indignant attitude. Gerotora then unfolded himself to show a sealing formula that encoded into his abdomen. Minato placed his right hand inside a square shaped marking. The tips of his fingers became covered with chakra and a second later when he removed his finger, Naruto saw his father's fingerprints imprinted onto that space. Minato turned towards Naruto and motioned for him to come forward.

"Now, Naru press your hand on that space…" Minato stated as he pointed towards another square space on the far left. Mimicking his father, Naruto covered the tips of his fingers with chakra and pressed his hand on the square box. Once it was done, Gerotora folded himself back shrunk down to the size of a small toad, who reached just up to Naruto's knee.

"Now Naru, this is going to be slightly uncomfortable okay?" Minato asked with an awkward chuckle. Naruto looked at him suspiciously, but when he opened his mouth to speak something, Gerotora immediately jumped into his mouth, trying to stuff himself inside. Caught off guard, Naruto tried to get the toad out of his mouth, however, ended up choking on the toad. Minato who was about to burst out laughing, gave a hard push to Gerotora, who then managed to fit inside Naruto's mouth and went inside his body.

After the ordeal, Naruto plumped down on the ground, taking deep breaths and spitting on the ground.

"What the hell tou-chan!?" Naruto asked with a glare.

"Gerotora is a scroll toad and he resides within the person who holds the contract with the scroll." Minato said as he tried not to laugh at the situation a few seconds ago. After Naruto wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his t-shirt, he got up from the ground and looked at his father with a somewhat confused expression.

"Now what do I do, tou-chan?" Naruto asked.

"All you have to do is go to your mindscape, touch the seal on your stomach with your hand and twist it to unlock the cage." Minato advised. Listening to his father, Naruto closed his eyes and entered his mindscape.

Once in his mindscape, Naruto again found himself standing before Kurama's cage. He looked towards his old friend and found him looking back at him with the same smile he had on his face.

"It's time, Kurama…" Naruto said calmly.

" **I know…** " Kurama replied with anticipation. It was still hard for him to believe that he would be free after spending so many years behind the cage stuck in Mito, Kushina as well as Naruto. Even though he liked Naruto, the feeling of being stuck behind bars never fit well with him. Naruto lifted his shirt and saw the seal holding Kurama appear on his stomach. Putting his hand on the seal, Naruto twisted it slowly to the right fully.

The very next second, Naruto jumped back when he heard the cage opening. A gust of wind blew past him and when he looked in front of him, his eyes landed on Kurama walking towards him, out of the cage. Naruto felt a surge of extremely potent chakra flow through his chakra coils at the same time. He flinched a bit due to the amount of chakra that was flowing through him so suddenly. Holding his hand in the ram seal, he tried soothing the flow of chakra and a few minutes later he smiled when he felt the chakra calming down. However, immediately after, his eyes started to close and he started to feel extremely tired.

Out in the real world, Minato saw Naruto's eyes droop a little and knew he was mostly tired due to the large amount of chakra suddenly rushing through his chakra coils. He caught Naruto just as he was about to fall and held him close. Carrying the little blond in his arms, Minato walked back to Naruto's room and laid him on his bed. Putting the blanket gently over him, he moved his hand through Naruto's hair tenderly.

Looking at the clock, Minato was surprised that it was past three in the morning already.

'I should get to sleep too… Damn work in the morning.' Minato moaned internally. Switching off the lights in the room, Minato walked towards the door.

"You did well Naru… sleep well." Whispered Minato as he glanced at him once, before closing the door of the room quietly.

* * *

 _ **Next Morning**_

Naruto slowly opened his eyes as the light from the window shone upon his face. Moving in his bed for a few more minutes, he slowly sat upright and rubbed his eyes to remove the sleepiness from them. His long blond and brown hair fell midway to his back and on the front a few locks of his hair fell over his right eye, covering his rinnegan. Opening his eyes and looking around himself, he released a sigh of relief. Last night when he suddenly started to feel drowsy, he thought something must have gone wrong while undoing the seal.

'Kurama?' Naruto thought.

" **Thank you, Naruto.** " Kurama said honestly.

'Baka! Stop thanking me! We have known each other for so many years. I know what you're feeling.' Naruto replied mirthlessly. Kurama growled a little at spoiling his appreciation of what Naruto had done but understood what the blond was trying to say. Between the two, no words had to be spoken. Just one look in each other's eye and they could tell what the other was thinking of.

" **Even though I only have the Yang half of my chakra, my chakra reserves feel much larger than I had anticipated.** " Kurama said in a surprised tone. Naruto lazily looked at the clock on the wall beside him and his eyes widened when he saw it was almost eleven in the morning now.

'Damnit! Why do I keep oversleeping?' Naruto thought irritatingly as he hurriedly got out of bed. He heard Kurama snicker in his mind and groaned. Quickly going to the washroom, Naruto brushed his teeth and took a quick shower. Coming out of the washroom, he changed into his clothes. A dark grey colored t-shirt, black pants and dark maroon colored kimono on top. Putting on his black sandals, Naruto left his room to go downstairs.

By the time he reached downstairs, it was already half hour past eleven. He went straight to the kitchen and found Mikoto to be preparing something to eat.

"Oba-chan? Why are you cooking?" Naruto asked surprised. It was usually his father cooking at home whenever he was free or just ordered it from outside.

"Who made the food that was in the fridge Naru-chan?" Mikoto asked sweetly. In Naruto's opinion, it was way too sweet to be honest.

"Uhm… uhm… It was tou-chan…" Naruto said uneasily.

"Well, that food tasted worse than anything I have eaten. How could you even that? Since I will be staying here, I will cook the food from now on. No wonder you are so thin. Eating food like that will not get you any healthier, Naru-chan." Naruto snickered at the frank answer he got from her. He walked to the fridge, hoping to eat some of the ramen which his father had hopefully made last night. But when he opened it, all his eyes saw were empty trays. With crossed fingers, he slowly walked over to the dustbin and peeked into it and felt as if his whole world shattered.

'MY RAMEN!' Naruto cried internally. Turning around he took a step back when he saw Mikoto give him a very suspiciously dangerous look.

"Looking for the ramen… Naru-chan?" Mikoto asked with a smile.

"H… Hai." Naruto answered meekly.

"Well, you're not getting any. You are still a child and you should eat more vegetables and milk instead of ramen all the time. Let your father come home and I will talk to him about both of yours eating habits. I put up breakfast for you on the dining table. Now, finish it okay?" Mikoto said in a motherly tone.

Naruto sadly walked over to the dining table and wondered if this is what it felt like to have a mother like figure. Sitting down on the table, Naruto reluctantly finished the bowl of oatmeal that was given to him along with the glass of apple juice. After putting the bowl and the glass back in the sink in the kitchen, he quickly made his way out of the house. However, as he walked out of the compound, he had a small smile on his face. No one other than her had ever spoken to him in such a motherly way and that made her very special to him. But it also made him slightly sad because once he joined the ANBU, he knew he wouldn't get much time to spend at home.

As Naruto made his way towards the Hokage's office through the market street of the village, he wondered how his friends at the academy were doing. It had been a few days since he had seen anyone. For a few seconds, he wondered if he should meet them, but thought against of it. He knew it would only hurt him more if he went to meet his friends right now. Naruto suddenly halted in his steps when he saw Sakura turn right from a lane to his right, just a few meters ahead. He sighed in relief when he saw that she hadn't noticed him. However, he frowned a little when he saw the sadness on her face. He pondered what had happened to make her feel sad and felt a bit melancholy because he hadn't spent much time with her in the past few months. He mentally cursed himself as he realized just how many people he must be hurting by not telling them anything. Deciding not to walk to avoid being seen by any of his friends, Naruto shunshined to the Hokage's office.

* * *

 _ **Hokage's Office**_

As soon as he appeared in the office, the first thing Naruto saw were the serious faces of Jiraiya and Kakashi and his father sitting on his desk with a tired look on his face. Judging from the mood in the room, Naruto guessed his father must have told Jiraiya and Kakashi about his request to join the ANBU and that the seal holding Kurama was undone now.

Naruto wasn't surprised when he saw it was Kakashi who was the first one to approach him. He always did care a lot about the blonde.

"Naruto, are you sure you want to join the ANBU?" Kakashi asked flatly. Naruto was a little surprised at his brother like figure's tone, but knew he took his duty as the ANBU Commander seriously.

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei. I want to join the ANBU so I could better help protect the village as a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato." Naruto replied professionally.

"Minato-sensei already spoke to me about your request. I was against it at first, even Jiraiya-sama was. But after a bit of… discussion, we agreed to give you a chance. We have never had anyone join the ANBU at such a young age. But then your skills could be extremely valuable in the ANBU and in the protection of the village." Kakashi said, now with a much softer tone. Naruto understood the worry that Kakashi was feeling, but joining the ANBU was his own decision and he would stick to it.

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei. I know you are worried about me. But I can handle it. I may be strong, but I'm not arrogant enough to believe that no one can beat me. I still have a lot to learn in terms of strategic planning and to work in a team to become a better shinobi." Naruto replied sincerely. Kakashi gave his traditional eye smile upon hearing Naruto's reply.

'Guess, I was worrying over nothing. Even though he's young, he has shown great maturity.' Kakashi thought proudly.

Minato cleared his throat once to gain everyone's attention. He sat straight on his chair and asked Naruto to come closer.

"Well Naruto, if you pass the test which Kakashi will select for you before joining the ANBU, Jiraiya-sensei will be travelling with your team, okay? He will help you in controlling the Kyubi's chakra as well as helping with understanding the rinnegan better. I have seen many jinchuriki lose control over their bijuu when they try to control its power. Even though you and the Kyubi are on friendly terms with each other, it's just a precaution. I don't want to take any chances." Minato stated firmly.

Naruto looked at the Toad Sannin and felt happy that the man would be there to watch his back all the time. Jiraiya walked closer to young Namikaze and kept his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I was worried when Minato told me that you unlocked the cage holding the Kyubi. But you look relatively fine. How are your chakra coils?" Jiraiya asked. He had met a few jinchuriki in his life, but had never heard of any jinchuriki who was on good terms with his bijuu and had the bijuu outside the seal. So it was certainly a new experience for him too. He knew Naruto was already at a level, higher than him, in terms of chakra as well as strength. He could only imagine how strong Naruto would become once he gained experience along with mastering the rinnegan and the Kyubi's chakra.

"I feel fine oji-chan. Don't worry so much." Naruto assured him. Turning towards Kakashi, he asked,

"So, what is the test Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked curiously. Kakashi folded his arms over his chest and seemed to be in deep thought for a few minutes before his eyes widened ever so slightly. Naruto shuddered a bit, seeing the look in Kakashi's eyes.

"Seeing as how you are now, most of the shinobi would most probably lose. So. I would like to test your strength against Minato-sensei." Kakashi said lazily. Everyone in the room remained quiet for some minutes, until Jiraiya started chuckling.

"Now, this… should be an interesting spar…" Jiraiya said in a giddy voice.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I got exams till the May 12, 2017. So, the next update would mostly be on May 19 or May 23, 2017.**

 **Naruto will not be able to use the Kurama Chakra Mode instantly. He will take some time to get used to Kurama's chakra as well maintaining it for longer time.**

 **I wanted to show Minato's and Naruto's fight in this chapter, but I felt it better to end the chapter on that note. I hoped to build the excitement for the next chapter. Also, don't be under the assumption that Naruto would simply win that fight. Now, I know I didn't show anything about Hinata's too. Naruto may or may not meet with Hinata or Sakura, depending on how he is feeling after his spar with Minato. He will be starting with the ANBU the very same day as his spar with Minato. Now, for his teams, I have got the team, which I know most people would like to see. Next, chapter will have a time skip of at least two or three months. And that is the time, Naruto and his team will mostly get their first mission. Next chapter onwards, I will start showing some of Naruto's mangekyo and rinnegan abilities. Since, naruto awakened the rinnegan naturally, he will be able to use the rinnegan to it's full extent, unlike Nagato who merely used _Six Path's Technique._ There's so much more to that doujutsu than that jutsu alone. I thought I would show something about Danzo or some of the other antagonists in this story in this chapter at the end, but it didn't happen. So, Naruto will meet most of the antagonists in this story, during his ANBU days.**

 **I'm really glad that most of the people think that the story is following a good path and I'm happy see a lot of the positive reviews. Now, if someone doesn't like the story, you could just not read, you know?**

 **Again, do follow and favorite the story if you do come to like it. And do kindly review if you like what I'm writing. As any writer, the reviews help me understand the reader's point of view and what I could incorporate into the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I'm uploading this chapter way earlier than I said I would be. I guess, I just couldn't wait to write the fight scene between Minato and Naruto.**

 **So, Naruto finally joins the ANBU in this chapter after his fight with Minato, which I have tried to portray as best as I could.**

 **Now, to answer some questions like whether Naruto will get Kurama's Yin chakra in the future or not. Yes, Naruto will get Kurama's Yin chakra but that will depend on when I will be planning to revive the Sandaime Hokage, since he holds Kyubi's Yin chakra. Yes, I will make Orochimaru be able to undo the shiki fuin jutsu so that he could free the souls of those trapped inside the belly of Shinigami. But, again, that won't be for a while.**

 **I have a different plan about how Naruto will meet Kushina in this story. I know, I could have made the Sandaime seal her chakra into Naruto's seal and make him meet his mother that way, but I want it to be more special. I have a good plot, where they would meet each other. Also, Naruto won't be using six different bodies when he uses Six Paths technique.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway, lets continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 10: ANBU**

* * *

Naruto stared at his brother-like figure blankly as his mind registered the words Kakashi said.

"You can't be serious Kakashi nii-san!" Naruto almost yelled.

"If you want to be an ANBU, you must learn to respect your superiors, Naruto. ANBU are expected to be the most disciplined of shinobi." Kakashi said curtly. Naruto promptly quieted down on hearing that. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, knowing he couldn't go on calling Kakashi with that name.

"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto replied as he lowered his eyes.

"It's Kakashi-taichou now." Kakashi replied with hardened eyes. Naruto fidgeted a little under the hard stare but nodded his head anyhow. Kakashi smirked a little behind his mask, seeing Naruto's predicament. He already knew he would have a lot of _fun_ with Naruto as his underling now.

"Your test will commence in half an hour and it will be witnessed by me, Jiraiya-sama and the next Anbu Commander. So, get everything you need before that time. Hokage-sama or Jiraiya-sama will bring you to ANBU headquarters." Kakashi said. The Copycat-ninja looked towards his sensei and Jiraiya before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Meanwhile, Minato sat on his desk with a smirk. He would finally get to see his son's strength for himself. Even though he had seen him spar with other people like Jiraiya and Kakashi as well as win against them several times, he had never had an all-out spar with Naruto. He could feel his skin tingling at the prospect of fighting someone strong.

"You aren't scared to fight me, are you Naru?" Minato asked, getting up from his chair. Naruto turned to look at his father and smiled smugly.

"We'll see who's better… _Hokage-sama_ " Naruto said mockingly as the three tomoe sharingan in his left eye spun into life. Minato walked to the coat hanger to his desk's right, took his haori off it and wore it over his Jounin flak jacket. He turned towards Naruto and looked at him as his own blue eyes morphed into the sharingan. Jiraiya shuddered a bit, looking at the blood red eyes of both father and son. It indeed looked terrifying.

"Jiraiya-sensei, can you bring Naruto to ANBU headquarters? I will head over there beforehand to clear out some of the necessary formalities." Minato requested. A few minutes later, all three of them disappeared from the Hokage's office. While Minato used the **Hiraishin no Jutsu** to move to the ANBU base, Naruto and Jiraiya shunshined to the Naruto's room, so the blond could take his chokutō along with more shuriken and kunai.

* * *

 _ **Naruto's room, Namikaze Compound**_

A few seconds after Naruto and Jiraiya disappeared from the Hokage's office, they were now standing in the middle of Naruto's room.

Naruto hurriedly went to the closet beside his bed, where he normally kept all his storage scrolls, kunai, shuriken, shinobi attire, first aid kit and his chokutō. Opening the closet, Naruto took the chokutō in his hands that was lying idly by the back. Jiraiya watched the blond take the chokutō out of the black colored scabbard and was surprised at how well-crafted it looked. The blade looked to be around twenty-one inches in length while the handle was around nine inches. The handle of the chokutō was covered in a charcoal colored cloth, with two stripes of darker shade of charcoal color designed in the middle of the handle three inches apart and the blade was a shiny metallic black in color. Swinging the chokutō in his hands a few times, Naruto placed it back in his scabbard and placed in along his waist. Taking as many shuriken and kunai as he could, he placed in his back pouch.

Once he was done, he turned to look at Jiraiya who was quietly standing there with a serious look on his face.

"I'm ready, Jiraiya oji-chan. Let's go." Naruto confidently.

"You have come a long way, Naruto. I know you are eager to test your strength against Minato, but be aware of your surroundings when you are fighting." Jiraiya advised.

"I know Jiraiya-sensei… Just watch me okay? I won't disappoint you, tou-chan, Kakashi-taichou or anyone else." Naruto replied calmly. Without saying anything further, Jiraiya placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and both shunshined to the ANBU headquarters.

* * *

 _ **ANBU Headquarters**_

The ANBU, short for _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai,_ is a specialized force of shinobi unit which was formed under the supervision of the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Shinobi recruited into the ANBU are hand-picked by the village's Kage for their individual capabilities and special traits. Following the Kage, the Anbu are generally considered the strongest shinobi within the village. The ANBU protect the village from exceptional threats, conduct high risk missions into enemy territory and deal with extremely strong shinobi. They are also responsible for carrying out assassinations, tracking, surveillance and missions requiring specially trained shinobi. However, since the group's main task is to eliminate any or all enemies of Konohagakure no Sato, they mainly undertake missions that are tasked with assassinations or disturbances in foreign nations.

The Anbu headquarters of Konohagakure no Sato is a single large building in the Hokage Mountain, a few miles behind the Hokage's Tower. To avoid the other shinobi villages from finding out the location of the Anbu headquarters, even the regular shinobi forces of the village are not made aware of the location of the base. It is for the very reason, that most of the important offices containing classified information are stored in an underground basement which is protected by a high-level protection barrier, which was designed by Mito Uzumaki herself. The Anbu headquarters has three floors above ground, which houses most of the shinobi working as Anbu agents and two floors below ground, which houses various offices, libraries, and training dojo, along with lounging an inventory room which contains vast amounts of jutsu obtained from other shinobi villages and weapons. The Anbu base of Konoha also houses a large training field located behind the main building, where the Anbu can use ninjutsu in their training spars.

Kakashi stood in his office, stacking the papers together which were Naruto's registration forms into the Anbu. Minato sat on a chair with his eyes closed, patiently waiting, while Yamato stood beside Kakashi with a thoughtful look on his face.

Yamato was about five feet and eight inches tall and had short brown hair along with black almond shaped eyes. He wore the standard attire of the Anbu- a black sleeveless jumper under a gray flack-jacket with strapped up shinobi sandals, arm length gloves with guards over them. He carried a sword strapped to his back and wore a happuri style forehead protector that resembled the Nidaime Hokage. Yamato, was once part of the Root Anbu and a subject of experimentation under Orochimaru of the Sannin. He was recovered by the Sandaime Hokage and the Anbu forces when Orochimaru was confronted by his sensei. Ever since then, Yamato had lived in the Anbu base and learned to be an Anbu shinobi since an early age.

"Inu-senpai, are you sure it's wise to let Naruto face off against Hokage-sama?" Yamato asked.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow. Even Minato looked at Yamato to hear his reasoning.

"I mean…we have never had a test like this for any candidate earlier." Stated Yamato. Though he had never met the boy, he had heard narratives of Naruto's conflict against the two Iwagakure shinobi and his fight against the Root Anbu who were ruthlessly killed by him. He believed if the kid was capable of such feats and if his only objective was to protect Konoha, he should be allowed to join without much of a hard-pressed trial.

"It's alright Tenzo. I know what I'm doing. It's for Naruto's best interests." Kakashi replied off handedly. Yamato, whose real name was in fact Tenzo, became a bit flustered upon being called that.

"Inu-senpai, I have told you many times not to call me that!" Yamato replied with twitching eyebrows.

Once Kakashi put the stacked papers inside a folder, he blankly stared at Yamato for a second with his lone visible eye and eye smiled.

"… you take everything too seriously Yamato. Calm down once a while, would you?" Kakashi asked. Before Yamato could reply, everyone in the room felt the familiar build-up of chakra and a second later, Naruto and Jiraiya were standing in the Anbu Commander's office.

Looking around the office, Naruto took in the details and noticed it looked rather simple. A plain desk in the middle of the office, one chair for Kakashi to sit on, and two chairs on the other side of the desk. A large side-table beside the window with a plant on it and portraits of the four Hokage on the wall opposite to the window. His eyes then landed on Yamato, whom he had never seen before. He wondered if he was the one who's supposed to be the new Anbu Commander.

"Are you ready Naruto?" Minato asked, finally getting up from his chair. He wore his usual blue jumper, his Jounin flack-jacket and his white haori on top of it.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Naruto replied professionally as he turned towards his father. Walking towards his son, Minato kept his hand on Naruto's head and patted it gently a couple of times.

"You'll do well. I know it…" Minato said earnestly. Naruto merely smiled on being encouraged by his father. It always warmed his heart to know that his loved ones believed in him.

"It's time now. We should get started." Kakashi interjected the father and son. Nodding his head, Minato held on to Naruto's arm and disappeared from the room using the **Hiraishin** , followed by Kakashi, Yamato and Jiraiya who used to **Shunshin no Jutsu**.

* * *

 _ **Anbu Training Ground**_

The training ground behind the Anbu headquarters was basically a large clearing inside the forests which was made by the Anbu for serious sparring among themselves. The tall trees covering the clearing normally kept it hidden from the prying eyes. The training dojo inside the headquarters was merely used for taijutsu exercises, physical training, kenjutsu training as well as shuriken or kunai throwing. There was also a small lake a few hundred meters away from the clearing which provided a suitable medium for the suiton users to make use of high ranking jutsu.

As soon as everyone came into the training ground, Jiraiya and Yamato walked to the side while Kakashi walked towards Naruto. Minato had already moved to one side of the clearing and stood there with his hands folded over his chest. Walking over to the younger blonde, Kakashi stood before Naruto with a serious look on his face.

"It's not necessary for you to win the match Naruto. If Hokage-sama, Yamato and I are impressed by your style of fighting, you will be accepted into the Anbu immediately." Kakashi said.

"Hai, Kakashi-taichou." Naruto replied firmly. Kakashi then moved to the middle of the field and stood and glanced towards both Minato and Naruto once.

"Hajime!" Kakashi said out loud and immediately jumped to the spot beside Jiraiya and Yamato.

Minato calmly stood on one side of the clearing with a Hiraishin kunai in his right hand and settled into his stance for the fight. Meanwhile, Naruto stood straight with no specific stance. His face was blank and not a shred of emotion could be seen. He could feel his chakra riling up at the prospect of facing someone, against whom his victory wasn't sure. Yet, he smiled darkly at that thought. The thrill of enjoying a good battle was in his blood after all.

Taking a step ahead, Naruto slowly started walking towards Minato, but soon enough, he started pacing at an unimaginable speed. It was only to the trained and experienced eyes, that Naruto's movements were visible. In less than two seconds, Naruto was onto Minato with his chokutō drawn out in his left hand. He made a diagonal slash towards Minato from down but was stopped abruptly when his blade met with a kunai. Putting more strength into it, Naruto was surprised when he couldn't push his father back much further. Minato went for a kick to Naruto's ribs with his left leg, but it was blocked easily with Naruto's right hand.

Seeing both of Naruto's hands blocked, Minato started making one handed seals with his left hand. Seeing his father making hand seals, Naruto promptly jumped a good distance back just in time.

" **Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu** " Minato said as he expelled multiple fireballs in the shape of dragon head from his mouth towards Naruto. The dragon head shaped fireballs travelled towards Naruto at an impeccable speed who barely had any time to recover. Quickly making the Ne (rat) seal with his right hand, Naruto whispered,

" **Suiton: Suijinheki** ". Water from the air materialized to form a large wall of water all around Naruto. As the two-opposing natured jutsu collided with each other, a thick mist enveloped the area. Seeing the thick mist, Naruto's left eye evolved to his three tomoe sharingan. Meanwhile, Minato who too had activated his sharingan, took out several more Hiraishin kunai from within his back pouch and scattered them all around the field.

Sensing his father coming straight at him from front, Naruto made a seal-less **Kage Bunshin** , who shunshined to another position above a tree branch. Sticking his chokutō on the ground, Naruto quickly made the Tori (bird) hand seal and began amassing quite a bit of chakra in his lungs. Just as he sensed his father was close by, his eyes widened when he just vanished from that position. By pure instinct, Naruto turned around with wide eyes when he saw his father a mere meter away, coming at him with his right hand extended. But the scariest part was the mass of chakra rotating in the shape of ball on his hand. Naruto saw his father get closer in slow motion with his sharingan and felt a strange sensation in his right eye. Unknowingly, he put his left hand forward and whispered words that he had never heard before.

" **Shinra Tensei** " Naruto whispered as his rinnegan glowed bright silver amid the mist. Minato saw Naruto whisper something with his sharingan, but couldn't make out what it was. However, before he could react or teleport away, he felt a tremendous force crashing into him out of nowhere. Minato flew backward instantly at a high speed while crashing into several trees. When the mist cleared, Naruto's eyes widened when he saw most of the trees in the forests were blasted away due to that invisible force.

'I see… so this is the power of the rinnegan.' Naruto thought amazed. However, he fell on one knee as he realized that the last attack had consumed a larger amount of chakra than he had anticipated. He knew he was running low on chakra and wouldn't last much longer if the fight demanded him to use jutsu consuming large chakra and decided to finish the fight as quickly as possible. Sending more chakra into his left eye, his three tomoe sharingan further evolved into the mangekyō sharingan. With a much clearer perception, he looked at the end of the path which was formed due to the earlier jutsu and widened his eyes at what he saw.

Minato stood on his right knee, taking deep breaths as a bit of blood flowed from his mouth. Surrounding him was a skeletal figure with a head and two arms and the entire thing was black in color. The eyes of the skeletal figure were hollow but they glowed bright yellow. Just when Minato was hit by the invisible force of wall, he had activated his mangekyō sharingan and was forced to use Susanoo. With his rinnegan, Naruto could see that the thing was made entirely of chakra and realized that this was the Susanoo, Kurama was talking about. For a second, Naruto wondered if would be able to form a chakra entity like that.

Wiping the blood off his mouth with his sleeve, Minato stood up, albeit a bit weakly. Sometimes, he wished he healed as fast as his son could. However, he smiled when he realized that this was fun. He had never resorted to using his Susanoo against any shinobi until now.

"Huh… now that was unexpected, Naruto…" Minato whispered to himself. Making the Hitsuji (ram) hand seal, his body became ablaze with potent chakra. His long blonde hair flapped wildly due to the large amounts of chakra that was covering him. It caused his Susanoo to develop even further. It gained muscles around it's chest, arms and face along with a skin on top.

Naruto, who was watching the entire thing, got a bad feeling about this and clasped his hands together. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the chakra that flowed in the world. Allowing the beautiful and calm chakra to enter his body, Naruto felt his chakra reserves getting filled. Opening his eyes, Naruto saw that his father's Susanoo had now formed a sword in its left hand. Minato and Naruto looked at each other briefly and both knew what was about to happen.

Minato's Susanoo pulled its arm, holding the sword back, meanwhile Naruto put his left hand up in the air. Purple chakra started to manifest around Naruto's left hand and formed a much larger hand. Minato could sense the potency of the senjutsu chakra Naruto was using and knew this attack would be fatal.

Immediately, his Susanoo pushed its hand forward along with the large sword that it was holding. Seeing the sword coming right at him, Naruto smiled darkly and formed a fist and punched his left arm forward.

" **Senpo:** **Kami no te** " Naruto yelled.

As if following his command, the larger arm manifested around Naruto's own hand also moved forward and clashed against Minato's Susanoo sword with a resounding sound. A large gust of wind blew in the area at the moment of contact. Both Minato and Naruto put large amounts of chakra behind their attack, but after a few seconds, Naruto's chakra manifested hand started pushing Minato's Susanoo sword back. Eventually, Naruto's chakra manifested arm broke through the sword and just as he was about to hit his father's Susanoo, his eyes widened again when Minato, along with his Susanoo, disappeared from the spot.

Minato instantly teleported a few meters behind Naruto with his Susanoo already gone. Taking out another kunai from his pouch, he jumped at Naruto. Sensing his father behind him, Naruto promptly ducked down. Getting hold of his chokutō, he aimed it at his father's kunai. However, Minato reacted quicker. Side stepping the attack, he kicked Naruto on the ribs with enough strength to make him fly back a couple hundred meters away. Naruto flinched at being kicked harshly, but he back flipped and came to a stop roughly, using chakra to stick to the ground. However, he wasn't given any rest when he saw his father teleporting just a few feet above him. Now that he gazed into his father's eyes, he saw his mangekyō sharingan for the first time. Both his eyes were blood red with black dot in between. Surrounding the black dot were two black concentric rings and the two rings were connected to each other with four black lines from all directions.

Quickly making a hand seal, Naruto replaced himself with the **Kage Bunshin** he made earlier and whispered, " **Katsu** ". In a few milliseconds, the clone exploded. Minato was a tad bit slower, but managed to avoid the full blast by teleporting away. Again, Naruto and Minato stood facing each other. But while Minato was taking deep breaths, Naruto seemed to be completely fine as the natural energy flowing through his body kept healing him continuously.

"You really are damn strong, tou-chan…" Naruto said as he moved his left shoulder a bit.

"I can say the same about you, Naruto. You are stronger than I expected. It's amazing, you know… But I think we have played enough. It's about time we finish this." Minato stated.

"Hai, tou-chan. Let's end this." Naruto replied as he settled into his stance. Yet again, Naruto saw his father extending his right hand and forming a spherical ball made entirely of chakra which was rotating. Minato picked up a Hiraishin kunai from the ground and threw it towards Naruto speedily. Naruto took his own kunai out and ran towards Minato. Just as he dodged the kunai by side stepping it slightly, he felt it.

" **Hiraishin: Ni no Dan** " Minato teleported to the kunai in mid-air and pushed the rotating sphere of chakra towards Naruto. However, this time Naruto reacted much faster. Turning around instantaneously, Naruto caught his father's left wrist, but his eyes widened when he saw that the chakra sphere in his father's right hand had dissipated and instead there was a single hand seal. A **Kage Bunshin** of Minato burst out of the ground behind Naruto and gripped both of his hands tightly.

Before Naruto could say another word, the original Minato, who was still in mid-air, punched him in the abdomen with a chakra covered fist. At that moment, Naruto understood why people hailed the Yondaime Hokage as the fastest man ever in shinobi history and knew that this fight was over.

He had lost.

Right away, Naruto fell on the ground on his hands and knees, taking deep breaths. However, just before Minato had punched him, Naruto had covered his entire body from neck to abdomen with medical chakra to lessen the effect of the punch. It still hurt him like hell though. Minato too fell on the ground, too tired to stand anymore. It had been a long time since he had a serious fight with anyone and this one was indeed one of the best fights he had ever had.

"You didn't have to punch so hard, tou-chan!" Naruto said painfully. He laid down on the ground as the pain started to become a little less. As he stared at the noon sun, a small frown came on his face. He wondered just how much stronger his father was. He knew his father could be much more destructive and ruthless than he was a while back. It also made him wonder just how strong his grandfather was. Madara Uchiha was regarded as the strongest shinobi to ever grace the Elemental Nations along with the Shodai Hokage. Naruto wished to reach for the stars, and the way he is right now, he doubted he could do it.

"I'm proud of you, Naru." Minato said gently as he got up. Giving his hand to his son, he helped him get up and ruffled his hair playfully with a proud smile on his face. Naruto blushed a bit at being praised but smiled nonetheless. It always elated him whenever his father said that.

Jiraiya, Yamato and Kakashi stood at the side with disbelief written in their eyes. Kakashi and Yamato had both gone through the Third Shinobi War and yet none of them had ever witnessed a battle of this scale. Jiraiya remembered his, Tsunade and Orochimaru's fight against Hanzou the Salamander. Even he doubted if that battle would come close to this one if Minato and Naruto escalated to using more destructive jutsu. He knew neither Minato nor Naruto had used the full extent of their strength. He shuddered to even think about it. Both were above the norms of normal shinobi.

"I do hope, and I really mean it… I hope Naruto never thinks about defecting Konoha. If he does, there would be nothing we could ever do to stop him." Yamato said a bit fearfully. He couldn't comprehend what he had witnessed right now. A mere ten-year-old went toe to toe with the Yondaime Hokage and with time, Naruto would only grow much stronger.

"Let's hope it never comes to that…" Kakashi whispered.

Kakashi, too, was widely shocked. He knew Naruto was exceptionally strong, but this was beyond his imagination. He had realized that the only reason his sensei won was because he was faster than Naruto.

'He certainly has grown a lot stronger than I expected in the last couple of years.' Kakashi thought.

A few seconds later, all three of them walked to the center of the field where Naruto and Minato were standing. Even though none of them severely injured, both were physically tired due to using excessive amount of chakra.

"You guy sure did a number on this ground." Jiraiya said sarcastically as he approached his two students. He laughed when both father and son rubbed the back of their sheepishly when they looked around. A lot of the trees were uprooted from their spots. There were several small craters on the ground along with a large part of the forest literally wiped out.

"I guess we did go a bit overboard…" Minato said with a laugh. Jiraiya, Kakashi and Yamato chuckled awkwardly at how easily that was said.

"So…?" Naruto asked as he looked towards Kakashi.

"I would have allowed you either way, Naruto. I just wanted you to realize for yourself where all you could improve upon. You still need to work on your kenjutsu skills a lot. A chokutō won't be of any use if you lose it in the middle of the fight." Kakashi said. Naruto sighed in relief and nodded his head seriously, already knowing some of the places he could improve in. However, the most important thing he needed to learn was about his two doujutsu. He shut out all doubts he had about not joining the Anbu now. If he wanted to make a change in the Elemental Nations, then he needed to understand how it worked, he needed to understand the people who made it work, the circumstances that peeved way for this current system of shinobi.

"That was a truly amazing fight Naruto." Yamato said as extended his hand to Naruto.

"Thank you…?" Naruto trailed off rather awkwardly, not knowing his name.

"Oh, I'm Yamato." Naruto shook his hand with a somewhat forced smile. A few minutes later once Naruto collected his chokutō and Minato collected his Hiraishin kunai, all five of them returned to Kakashi's office in the Anbu headquarters to finalize Naruto's initiation into the Anbu Black Ops.

* * *

 _ **Evening, Hyūga Compound**_

Still weak from the wound she had received the day before yesterday, Hinata quietly sat on her bed beside the window. She wasn't allowed to go outside the Hyūga compound until she had recovered fully and was thus resigned to stay in her room most of the time. Even though she could walk a little better now, she couldn't walk for longer than half an hour without flinching or feeling the pain in her stomach. Even then, someone had to be there with her all the time when she was out of the bed.

Sighing, Hinata gazed upon at the moon that was now visible. It was a little over seven now and the evening sky always mesmerized her. The orange and reddish hue coming together around the setting sun and the moon- it was truly elegant. However, her minded wandered off to the promise which Naruto had made last night. She had a feeling he was not going to show up and probably wouldn't for a while. She didn't know why, but hearing his voice yesterday, she had realized something was troubling him greatly, but as usual she had kept quiet, knowing that he was hiding something. Sometimes, she wished Naruto told her _everything_ about him, told her everything that was troubling him. However, she felt more anger towards Naruto right now, rather than feeling sad. She never lied to him, listened to him when he was feeling a little down and always stood by his side ever since she met him. Yet he never reciprocated those acts truthfully.

Neji, who was passing by outside, saw the door to Hinata's room slightly open and felt that he should check up on her. Despite being from the branch family, he had cared for Hinata like a sister since he was young and tried protecting her to the best of his limits. But over the past few years, he had been so immersed in his training in the fighting style of the Hyūga Clan and academy that he hardly got any time to see her. But he was glad that there was someone out there protecting her. He had never met the Yondaime Hokage's son in person, but he knew Naruto and Hinata were close friends. At the same time, he was a little worried due to the quietness that had enveloped her these past couple of days.

Walking up to her room's door, he knocked on in a couple of times.

Hinata looked towards the door and smiled for mere second when she saw that it was her cousin, Neji. Seeing her nod, Neji walked into the room and stood before her bed. He frowned a little on seeing the blank look on her face.

"Is something troubling you, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked politely.

"I just feel a bit tired… that's all." Hinata replied slowly.

"I could always tell when you are sad or lying, Hinata-sama." Neji said. Hinata sighed once again, knowing she was never that good at hiding things.

"I want to become stronger, Neji nii-san." Hinata whispered, once again looking out of the window. Neji became quiet for a few seconds as he observed Hinata's behavior carefully.

"Is this about Naruto…?" Neji asked. Hinata closed her eyes briefly on hearing his name and became quiet.

"…do you like him, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked curiously. He probably knew the answer to that question but he just wished to hear it from her. But before she could reply, Hiashi walked into the room with his usual stoic expression on her face.

"Neji, it's time for dinner. Let Hinata rest now." Hiashi said. Glancing towards his daughter, Hiashi saw how fragile she looked as of now. He mentally cursed Danzo, because of him, she had ended up this way.

"Hinata, your kaa-san will bring the dinner to room, okay?" Hiashi said, as gently as he could. Hinata nodded with a small smile while Neji reluctantly left the room with the Hyūga Clan head. Had he stayed a little longer, he would have probably heard Hinata's reply.

"Yes… I do like him, Neji nii-san." Hinata whispered to herself.

* * *

 _ **Two Months later**_

The darkness enveloping the room was almost palpable.

The only thing visible in the darkness of the room was a pair of two strange eyes. While one was completely blood red, the other was a bright silver. He sat on the bed with the _Washi_ (eagle) mask on his face. Instead of the standard Anbu attire, he wore a black, full sleeved jumper under a gray flack-jacket with black shinobi sandals. He also wore his black gloves along with arm-length guards. His chokutō was beside him, leaning against his left thigh while he merely stared at the small window which was closed.

It was an excruciating couple of months for Naruto. Not so much physically, but mentally. Before he joined the Anbu, he believed one's battle prowess and ability to perform well in arduous situations were the only necessary requirement. But he wasn't declared field ready until he had a better understanding of the inner workings of the village, the general outline of other Great four nations and minor villages in the Elemental Nations along with the strict rules by which every Anbu agent is supposed to abide by. So, he had to spend a lot of hours immersed in books, to soak up the information. Due to the amount of time he was spending in the Anbu headquarters, he too had gotten a room in the main building like Itachi where he could sleep and rest.

However, those were not the only problems the blond had gone through. Naruto was the youngest member to join the ranks of Anbu Black ops since its foundation. While there were some who did not like the fact that a young kid such as him was joining their ranks, some flatly ignored Naruto for being the jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Kitsune which took the lives of many of their family members along with several of their brethren who fought against the demon fox, ten years ago. Almost everyone in the Anbu Black Ops knew that the youngest operative was Naruto, but the hatred and ignorance that had settled into the hearts of many clouded their judgment of Naruto's character. Even though it saddened Naruto to know that some people still couldn't accept him, never once did he say anything against them. He hoped once he had proved himself, that they too would call him one of their own.

Despite a small fraction of people who disliked the blond, a larger number of shinobi in the Anbu respected Naruto for what he was doing. They viewed him as one of their own for having the desire to protect the Leaf and having the will to sacrifice everything for the sake of Konoha's people. They viewed him as a hero for keeping the mighty Kyubi no Kitsune at bay. Three days after Naruto had fought against Minato, he was introduced to his new team- Team Ro by Yamato, who was appointed as the new Anbu Commander due to Kakashi's retirement from the Anbu Black Ops. And Naruto couldn't be happier with the people who were in his team.

In the last couple of months, Naruto had not only learned about the working of the village and Anbu, but had also further advanced his skills, especially in kenjutsu. He wasn't following a specific style in kenjutsu nor had he become extremely proficient, but his daily spars with Itachi and Yugao who were adept in this art helped Naruto improved his stance and balance substantially.

Holding his chokutō and strapping it to his back, Naruto walked closer to the window and opened it. The light from the sun immediately illuminated the once dark room. Upon hearing the birds' chirping and inhaling the fresh air, a small smile came on Naruto's face behind his Anbu mask. One of the things he liked about being in Anbu was the quiet time he got when he was not studying or training. Despite improving in several areas over the course of two months, his most notable achievements were the several abilities of rinnegan and mangekyō sharingan he discovered during his training and the jutsu his father taught him.

 _Flashback One Month and Three weeks ago_

 _Naruto sat in a meditative position in the same training field where he had fought his father about a week earlier. He had both his hands clasped together and his eyes closed. His calm face portrayed the amount of concentration he had right now. A few seconds later, he started to levitate off the ground. A couple meters at first, but as a few more minutes passed, he reached a height of ten meters above the ground and simply stayed there._

 _The day Naruto used the jutsu,_ _ **Shinra Tensei**_ _, he realized that the invisible wall of force that made his father to fall back several hundred meters, was gravitational force. It had also made him wonder that if he could repel objects, then, could he also pull the objects towards himself? However, when he had tried to do that, he didn't have much success in it. He thought, if he had better control over repelling objects using gravity, the other one would naturally come to him._

 _About half an hour later, Naruto suddenly fell to the ground, unable to keep the gravity around himself stable much longer. Before he contacted the ground, Naruto made the Tori hand seal and a small circle of wind formed just below him, slowing down his fall. He simply laid flat on the ground and stared at the clouds in the sky move. His mind wandered off to the jutsu he saw his father using during their fight. He had never seen a jutsu like that before. When he saw the jutsu with his rinnegan, he understood that his father was rotating the chakra in his hands in one direction in the shape of a ball at high speeds. He was simply mesmerized at the simplicity of the jutsu because of it not requiring any hand seals._

 _Sitting up, he put his right arm forward and visualized the spinning ball of chakra he had seen in his father's hand. Opening his eyes, he saw his chakra forming a spherical shape about the size of a soccer ball and spinning in clockwise direction. But just as it formed, the chakra soon dispersed. He tried once more, but again, the result was the same. For the next few minutes, Naruto kept on trying it repeatedly, but every time, it was the same result- the chakra would form a spherical shape, but a second or two later, it would dissipate. Annoyed that he couldn't do it, Naruto laid back down on the ground. Seeing as he did not have much to do rest of the day, he closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep. Kakashi, who was standing atop a tree branch, watching the blonde train from afar, smiled underneath his mask at Naruto's tenacity._

' _He doesn't realize how close he is…' Kakashi thought with a chuckle, as he shunshined to the Hokage's office._

 _A few hours later, Naruto moved a bit in his sleep when he felt someone poke him on his cheek lightly. Opening his eyes slowly, he smiled on seeing his father crouching beside him. Looking up at the sky, his eyes widened a bit when he realized he had slept for more than four hours. He immediately got up from the ground and stretched his arms and legs to get the blood flowing. Minato chuckled a bit at Naruto's realization of what the time of the day it was._

" _What are you doing here, tou-chan?" Naruto asked._

" _Well, I just finished my work at the office. I thought I could spend some time with you here. You are hardly at home anyway…" Minato said._

" _I have a lot to study to get field ready. You already know that, tou-chan!" Naruto replied. Even though Naruto knew this would happen once he joined Anbu, he still missed home a lot._

" _It wasn't easy to explain to Mikoto and Tsunade-sama. They weren't happy with your decision… I guess Mikoto's still a little upset." Minato said frankly._

" _I… will talk to her soon, tou-chan." Naruto said rather sadly. Both then walked a little deeper into the forest and sat under the shade of a tall tree. Naruto leaned against his father's shoulder and made himself comfortable, the way he used to do it when he was much younger._

" _Tou-chan?" Naruto asked._

" _Hai?"_

" _What was that jutsu you used in the fight last time? The jutsu where you made your chakra rotate in a specific direction?" Naruto asked._

" _You mean this one?" Minato asked as he extended his left arm forward and formed a Rasengan in his hand._

" _Hai. What's it called?" Naruto asked curiously._

" _ **Rasengan**_ _. I created it after I saw a Bijuudama for the first time. Bijuudama is a tailed beast's ultimate attack." Minato replied. It was during his Anbu days when he was around seventeen years that he faced off against the Yonbi jinchuriki, Roshi- Yoton no Roshi. That was his first time fighting a jinchuriki and the first time he had ever seen a Bijuudama. That was when he had the idea of forming a jutsu, fundamentally resembling a Bijuudama._

" _Really tou-chan? You created it?" Naruto asked astonished. Naruto stared at his father with slightly wide eyes as he saw him nod._

" _Would you teach it to me? I tried to do it earlier, but I couldn't do it properly." Naruto asked persuasively. He extended his right arm and did the same thing he tried a few hours ago. His chakra took the shape of spherical ball and rotated in the clockwise direction, but again after a few seconds the chakra just dissipated. Now, it was Minato whose eyes widened greatly on seeing that._

" _How did you do that Naru?" Minato asked dumbfounded._

" _I saw you perform the jutsu with my rinnegan and understood the basic concept of it." Naruto replied frankly. Upon hearing that, Minato gained a thoughtful look on his face and concluded a key fact. In a way, the rinnegan resembled the sharingan. However, unlike the sharingan, which helped one copy another person's jutsu, the rinnegan gave the user a basic understanding of it._

" _Show it to me again" Minato requested as he sat upright. Naruto, doing the same once again, put his right arm forward and tried forming a rasengan, but the result was the same as before. Minato observed the rasengan carefully and noted that it lacked stability and power._

" _You need to condense your chakra more into that sphere. Use more chakra and contain it in that sphere. The rasengan is primarily formed of three steps. First is the rotation, where you concentrate chakra in your hand and make it spin in one direction. The second step is Power. In this step, you add a stronger concentration of chakra to add to the chakra flow. Finally, the third step is containment. In this step, you combine step one and step two to form a small shell around the spinning chakra to prevent it from dissipating. In simpler words, this step consists of controlling the rotation and the power of the chakra at the same time. When you are able to do that, a small shell is formed around the rotating chakra which contains it and prevents it from dissipating." Minato explained thoroughly._

 _Naruto listened to every word thoroughly and understood what his father was trying to say. Closing his eyes, he concentrated chakra on the palm of his hands and made it spin in a clockwise direction. Simultaneously, he pushed more chakra into it, making the spinning ball of chakra much denser. This time, the rasengan lasted in his hands for about twenty seconds before it dissipated. However, Naruto smiled upon seeing that he was getting the hang of it. Minato who was silently observing Naruto had an extremely proud look on his face. This same jutsu took about three years to create and master. And here was his son, doing the same thing in not even less than a day._

' _It's not long before you surpass even me, Naru…' Minato proudly thought._

 _For the next hour, Naruto kept on trying to concentrate on both rotation as well as power at the same time and the small smile evident on his face showed that he was slowly getting better at it._

" _Tou-chan, can you show me your rasengan once again? I think I almost got it." Naruto stated. Nodding his head, Minato once again formed the rasengan in his hand and kept the chakra spinning for a longer time. Looking at the rasengan with his rinnegan more closely, Naruto observed how the rotation of the chakra and the density of the chakra complimented each other and were always in constant proportion. Even if one was greater than the other, the rasengan won't remain stable for long. Minato soon dispersed the rasengan spinning in his hand once he noticed Naruto was going to try doing it himself again._

 _Concentrating chakra on the palm of his right hand again, Naruto made it spin clockwise and supplied it with ample amount of chakra. Making sure that the amount of chakra being supplied was proportional to the speed of the rotation, Naruto smiled widely when he saw that the violet colored spinning ball of chakra remained stable in his hands._

' _Your mother would be proud of you, Naru.' Minato thought as a few tears dropped from his eyes, unnoticed by Naruto._

 _Flashback End_

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the door to his room open. He turned towards the door and smiled upon seeing the familiar shade of silky black hair.

"We need to leave for the mission now, Washi." Said Mikasa. She had long black silky hair that reached down to her waist that complimented her dark onyx eyes and pale skin. Despite being only fifteen, she was tall for her age and seemed to be physically fit. She wore the standard Anbu attire of sleeveless black jumper with a gray armor on top and a katana strapped to her back. She had been a member of team Ro, even before Naruto had joined the team. Like Naruto, she too was a close, mid-range and a long-range fighter. But, her main skills were in utilizing the raiton and suiton natured chakra.

"Hai, Usagi-senpai." Naruto replied.

Once both Naruto and Mikasa left the room, they headed straight to their team's usual rendezvous point which was exactly a mile to the north of the Anbu headquarters. After a few minutes of jumping atop the tree branches outside the Anbu main building, both came to a stop when they found all members of Team Ro to be waiting there.

Itachi, who was wearing the _Karasu_ (crow) mask, stood to the side quietly, leaning against the bark of a tree with his eyes closed. Shisui wearing the _Tora_ (bird) mask stood beside Karasu, talking to Yugao, who wore the _Neko_ (cat) mask. Itachi opened his eyes behind the mask once he was sure everyone was here.

"Let's get moving." Karasu stated. All the other members of Team Ro nodded their heads on hearing their team captain's orders and a second later everyone started moving towards the west gate of the village.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter! I will try posting the next chapter by May 23, 2017.**

 **Next chapter onwards, I will begin incorporating the antagonists in the story as well. Now, Akatsuki's timeline of capturing the bijuus will also change due to the change in timeline of certain events I will be making in this story. Also, since Itachi never joined the Akatsuki in this story, there will be some new members in the group too. The Akatsuki members will be pretty damn strong. Some like Kisame who is naturally strong, Kakazu who was years and years of experience, Sasori, Nagato, will be exceptionally strong.**

 **Team Ro- includes Naruto, Itachi, Shisui, Yugao and Mikasa. I got the idea of her character from** **shingeki no kyojin** **. I will mostly be going into details about Naruto's life in ANBU, his relationship with his team mates and how he brings others in ANBU to believe in him. So, the next five to six chapters will be mostly be about the events that Naruto will go through, while in ANBU. However, as I said earlier, I will also include how the Konoha 11 will be progressing during the time Naruto will be away.**

 **I really appreciate with the reviews I am getting. Makes me really glad that many people are interested in this story. Thanks to some who help me out with the grammar mistakes that go unnoticed by me!**

 **Once again, Do follow and favorite the story if you come to like it. And do leave a review.**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I will hopefully start updating the stories regularly from now on.**

 **This chapter showcases Naruto's first Anbu mission and how he is made to ease into it. His thoughts about the shinobi nations as he sees new places and meets new people. I will also be showing the events that will happen in Konoha, especially the events involving Naruto's friends and family while he will be away on missions.**

 **In the last chapter, it was stated why Naruto consumed more chakra in using the jutsu "Shinra Tensei" whereas Nagato could use it effortlessly. I would say, in the last chapter, it was Naruto's first time using a power that was bestowed on him by the rinnegan. Nagato, during the attack on Konoha was a battle hardened and experienced shinobi who knew how much chakra to mold for the jutsus related to rinnegan. But, in Naruto's case, he's still a young boy and doesn't know anything about the rinngan. He will come to learn and understand the true powers of the rinnegan as he grows and matures. Also, Naruto won't be getting the third eye which Kaguya has. Naruto as he is, if he masters the rinnegan and the mangekyo sharingan along with his sage powers to his full extent, will be someone who will be able to face members of Otsusuki family like Kaguya, Hagoromo, Momoshiki and Kinshiki by himself. However, that's a very long way ahead.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway, let's continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: First mission**

* * *

The five-shinobi cell, after leaving Konohagakure no Sato, made their way at a fast pace by travelling atop the tree branches. It had been over five hours since they had left the village and most of the path they travelled up to now consisted of thick forests, thus allowing them to move forward without getting seen by anyone. While Washi was in the front, Neko and Usagi were a little behind to his left and right respectively. Karasu and Tora stayed behind the three to provide the eyes at back in case of an unforeseen situation.

Generally, the team's Taicho led the cell by being in front of the team but in Team Ro Han's current mission, Washi was given the chance to lead the team for him to get better accommodated to the protocols of travelling with an ANBU team in a practical situation. While most green ANBU were not given that opportunity right off the bat, Washi, however, was no normal shinobi. The rumors of his Kage level skills, battle prowess as well keen and sharp mind was already known among the other members of the ANBU. While those who knew Washi to some extent readily came to believe such rumors, some wished to see the young Anbu in action to believe such statements. Team Ro Han had always been considered among the best teams in the ANBU since its founding days and has had the most success rate in the mission's success. Just by getting into the team, one is considered among the topmost operatives of the village who is bound to be respected by the other ANBU and shinobi.

Their destination, Tetsu no Kuni (Land of Iron), is an icy and snow covered country which is located among the three mountains called the Three Wolves. Despite the several wars which took place between the Great Five Nations, Tetsu no Kuni has never been involved in any of them politically. In fact, the shinobi have had a rule since long ago that they would not meddle with the samurai's business. That is the unusual aspect about Tetsu no Kuni. The samurai have resided and ruled Tetsu no Kuni for ages. Despite the land not having ninjas, they have a formidable line of defense of skilled and experienced samurai who protect the land. The Land of Iron is known for its craftsmanship in making weapons, especially swords, and producing incredible users of kenjutsu. After the Third Shinobi War ended, Konoha had approached Tetsu no Kuni with a deal regarding weapons shipments every three months to their village. Ever since then, Team Ro-Han is sent to Tetsu no Kuni to meet with their leader, Mifune.

"Taicho, where did he say he would meet us?" Washi asked.

"About ten miles or so before the border of the village, Amegakure. We should be approaching the place by tomorrow." Karasu stated as he jumped from one branch to another.

"Isn't it your first time outside the village Washi?" asked Neko. Over the past couple of months, Neko and Washi had formed a sibling relationship with each other. Neko often helped Washi when he spent long hours in the library and explained him certain topics when he did not understand it. Washi found it rather embarrassing, yet a little funny, when Neko tried to scare off girls who tried to flirt with him, even though he thought he had the situation in his grasp.

"Hai, Neko." Washi replied.

"I hope you're packing something warm. It's going to be cold in Tetsu no Kuni." Neko said with concern. Washi momentarily stopped, but continued jumping over the tree branches.

"…You didn't, did you?" asked Usagi with a deadpan look behind her mask. She was probably the most serious and practical person in the team after Karasu.

"…it just slipped my mind, okay. I will make sure for next time. Anyhow, I think I will be fine." Washi replied with a somewhat sheepish look. Soon enough, everyone became quiet and focused on the road ahead until they met up with Jiraiya near the border of Amegakure.

'For some reason, I don't have a good feeling about passing beside Amegakure. None of the Nations know what the state of that village has been in since the Third Shinobi War. Also, with our current situation with Iwagakure, I don't know what might happen after we pass through the Land of Birds.' Karasu thought warily. Since the Land of Birds shared a close border with Iwagakure, it was possible for either Stone Anbu or jounin to be there for border patrol. He glanced towards Tora when he felt a hand on his shoulder for a second and understood the message when his friend nodded.

 _Konoha ANBU don't hesitate and never falter, no matter the situation that lays before them. They complete the mission given to them by their Hokage and failure is not an option._

* * *

 _ **Konoha Academy**_

Kakashi, along with Asuma, stood rather annoyingly in front of a bunch of kids in the training grounds of the Konoha Academy.

Asuma Sarutobi was born to Biwako and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, about eight years before the start of the Third Shinobi War. Asuma was a tall man with brown eyes, olive skin, short black spiky hair and a beard. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha ninja uniform with sleeves rolled up half way up, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and forehead protector. He also wore a red sash which had the kanji for _Fire_ marked on it around his waist, a pair of black bangles and bandages wrapped around the sleeve of his right arm.

About a month after the Uchiha Massacre, the Hokage had increased the academy graduation age to fourteen to better prepare the graduating genin for the hardships of the shinobi life and to instill a sense of practicality in them. Along with the increase in the graduating age, several other changes were made in the academic curriculum. The students were already taught to unlock their chakra in the first year and made to learn basic chakra control exercises along with simple ninjutsu such as **Bunshin no Jutsu** , **Kawirami no Jutsu** and **Henge no Jutsu**. However, now the students will also be introduced to basic elemental chakra manipulation from the third year onwards and mere control of their chakra affinities until they graduate. The students will also be given the option to choose from various departments of shinobi arts where they could specialize in- Bukijutsu, Medical ninjutsu, Elemental ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Reconnaissance, Communication and even Fuinjutsu. The students would be taught the basic concepts of the subjects in their chosen departments and later could pursue the advanced jutsu once they graduate from the academy. The idea behind this is to make the students aware of the various fields they could choose from later in their shinobi career.

Hence, some of the select jounin like Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Maito Gai and tokubetsu jounin like Gekko Hayate and Genma Shiranui were given the task to guide the academy students in certain areas from time to time.

"Alright, everyone listen to me carefully now because I'm only going to repeat it once." Kakashi stated. However, most of the students seemed to ignore the lazy jounin and continued with their talking. Asuma chuckled on seeing Kakashi's pathetic attempt on silencing the students. Kakashi's eyebrow twitched on seeing the blatant ignorance of the students.

'Why did you have to do this to me, Minato-sensei?' thought the Copy ninja, a little depressed. He had thought he would get more time to read his precious book once he quit Anbu. His Hokage thought differently, however.

"Everyone, listen now!" Asuma said authoritatively, using chakra to enhance his voice. Many of the students who were previously talking with each other immediately quieted down on hearing the loud voice. Asuma smirked on seeing the annoyed look on Kakashi's face. Having dealt with his nephew Konohamaru and his friends before, he had a little idea on how to go around with children.

"Today, we will be introducing you to advanced chakra control exercises called the Tree Walking and Water Walking exercise along with the theory behind each of those exercises. Later, we'll be checking each of your chakra affinity and then determine which chakra control is necessary to improve your control over elemental chakra." Kakashi said as he walked to a nearby tree.

"Um… sensei, how will climbing on trees help us improve chakra control? And I think we all know how to climb trees." Ino said with a somewhat smug look on her face, thinking that her sensei was joking. Sasuke had to scoff at the stupidity of the platinum-blond haired girl's statement. Sakura, standing beside the raven haired Uchiha, had to stifle in a giggle on seeing the look on Sasuke's face. Hinata merely stood beside the two with a blank look on her face.

A lot had changed since the Uchiha Massacre and Naruto's untimely disappearance from their lives about three months ago. Most of the villagers now viewed Mikoto, Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui as the last of one of the noble clans which founded the village and gave them their sympathies for the loss.

Another intriguing topic in the village was regarding the son of the Yondaime Hokage. The village surely seemed a lot quieter now. While Sasuke had guessed that Naruto had joined the Anbu Black ops due to his strange timing of showing up in his room along with Itachi, Hinata and Sakura were sad and angry at the blonde. Whenever anyone from the class asked about Naruto's whereabouts the only answer they were given was, _It's classified information_. Sakura had an suspicion as to why Naruto was keeping himself away from them and understood his reasoning. But it didn't mean that she had to like it. Since then, she too had decided to get stronger on her own, so she wouldn't have to rely on anyone else in uncalled situations. However, the most distraught of all was the Hyūga heiress. It wasn't Naruto's sudden absence which bothered Hinata, but the way Naruto seemingly cut himself off from everyone's life.

In the past few two months, Sasuke had tried to open himself to others by talking to those around him when spoken to, who were mainly Hinata and Sakura. He had given a lot of thought to what Naruto had told him that night and realized that he was indeed lucky to have his mother, Itachi and Shisui alive after the attack that night. His brother did always tell him that the village is important and every Konoha shinobi fights to the death to protect her. He still didn't clearly understand what a village was, but he wanted to try and understand. He wanted to protect what was close to him and kill the man who had taken from him unjustly.

Instead of answering the girl's question verbally, Kakashi simply put one foot on the tree and then another. Just like that, he walked up the entire length of the tree and sat atop the branch. All the students except Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura and even Shikamaru were wide eyed seeing Kakashi climb the tree without the use of his hands. Kakashi and Asuma chuckled lightly on seeing the innocent surprised faces of several students.

"I take it, you don't yet know how to do this, Ino?" Kakashi asked.

Ino felt rather embarrassed that several students were now staring at her and dumbly nodded at Kakashi's expression. Kakashi jumped from the tree and gracefully landed on the ground using chakra at the soles of his feet.

"Well, I see that some already know this exercise." Asuma said as his keen eyes looked towards Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru.

"I will explain the theory and teach those who don't this exercise yet and those who already know how to perform it can move towards Kakashi. He will teach you an advanced version." Asuma said curtly. All the civilian students and Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino followed Asuma to another section of the training ground while Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru stayed behind with Kakashi.

Sasuke was rather surprised that someone as lazy as Shikamaru knew how to perform this technique and thus unknowingly stared at him with an astonished expression for a few seconds.

"What?" Shikamaru asked dumbly.

"Nothing… I'm just surprised you know how to do it." Sasuke replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Sakura bopped the Uchiha on the head the very next second for being so blatantly honest which earned her a glare from him.

"You don't have to assume he doesn't know anything Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said irritatingly. She knew Sasuke was trying his best to change his views of others, but he still needed to know when to speak what.

"My tou-san made me learn it a few months ago. It was a drag." Shikamaru said as he returned his gaze towards the slow-moving clouds in the sky.

"We are shinobi Sasuke. Shinobi don't gloat about what they know and what they don't." Hinata said flatly. Once again, Sasuke was mildly surprised at Hinata's tone. He was aware at how close she was with Naruto and wondered if her new attitude had anything to do with him since he had noticed a change in her ever since Naruto disappeared.

'They get along better than I expected… although Sakura and Hinata are a lot more different than what I had heard.' Kakashi thought observantly.

"Well, my little soon to be genin…let's begin." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

* * *

 _ **A day later, with Team Ro-Han**_

It had been over a day since the members of team Ro were moving towards the western border of Hi no Kuni which connected to an unnamed country where Amegakure resided. They had taken a few hours of rest and rejuvenate themselves last night. Naruto was really intrigued on seeing how most of the western part of the Fire Country was filled with dense forests with a few lakes along the way.

Naruto smiled under his mask when he felt the familiar presence of Jiraiya's chakra. Naruto stopped abruptly on top of a tree branch while keeping his eyes glued to his right and brought his right hand up to signal a stop to all the other members of Team Ro. None of the members were surprised when a tall figure suddenly became visible on top of the branch on another tree, less than a hundred meters to their right.

"Took you long enough to come. I was expecting with you all, the distance would be covered within a day." Jiraiya said jovially. It had been a couple of months since he had last seen his godson. Seeing him dressed up in Anbu gear with the Washi mask on, it made him feel proud indeed.

"Lord Jiraiya." Usagi, Neko and Tora immediately bowed their head in respect before one of the strongest shinobi in Hi no Kuni. Despite being a pervert, the Toad Sannin was deeply respected by all the shinobi for his work and loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato. The man had completed more S-Rank missions in his life than each of the past Hokage of Konoha. Jiraiya looked towards the three Anbu operatives and nodded his head curtly.

"We'll have to be careful once we reach near the Land of Birds. I have heard some disturbing news about Stone Anbu mobilizing their forces near the borders of Land of Birds, Kusagakure and Takigakure. As of now, I haven't heard news of any actions taken by Iwagakure but I have sent the news to Minato." Jiraiya said seriously. Itachi narrowed his eyes upon hearing that piece of information.

"So, Iwa's forces have already started mobilizing their shinobi slowly from the western and northwestern side of Hi no Kuni. It may not amount to anything now. But if it continues, Tsuchi no Kuni shinobi will soon reach the border of Fire Country. Also, considering the political influence and military power of Land of Birds, Takigakure and Kusagakure, these minor villages won't be able to hold their own against Iwagakure for long..." Karasu stated tactfully. Jiraiya nodded his head, impressed at the boy's strategic mind.

"It's possible that they could be planning to attack Konoha in the future. Onoki and his shinobi have never been known for their kindness or fair game anyhow and with the grudge that Onoki holds against Konoha, it's very likely." Usagi said bitterly. Images of her parents sacrificing themselves to protect her during the Third Shinobi War still flashed in her mind from time to time. Even though most people knew her to be a tough girl, beneath that rough façade was a girl who missed her family. Naruto tilted his head down a little upon sensing the waves of sadness that he could feel from everyone around him.

'Everyone has lost someone close to themselves during the last war…' thought Naruto sadly.

"Anyhow, we shouldn't waste any more time here Jiraiya-sama." Karasu said firmly.

"Taicho's right Jiraiya-sama. We can talk once we reach Tetsu no Kuni." Tora said. Without wasting any more time, Team Ro Han, along with Jiraiya, started to make their way across the western border of Hi no Kuni.

Naruto briefly thought about the Iwa shinobi, Ittan, who came to assassinate him a few years back and frowned. Why did Iwagakure still hate Konohagakure? Did they not understand that in a Shinobi War, death is inevitable? Did they not understand that Konoha had to kill Iwagakure shinobi only to protect the innocents of their own village? Would one nation's hatred against another be the instigator that would ignite the Fourth Shinobi War?

" **You haven't seen war yet, Naruto… and when you do, you will wish you weren't alive to witness it. When a war begins, the reasons behind it are never sane or logical.** " Kurama said wisely. Naruto understood what Kurama was trying to say. It was true that he hadn't experienced the true horrors of a war, but even he could see the way things were slowly moving in the shinobi world, a fourth shinobi war will be inevitable. He was nervous, but he wasn't scared. He had already killed hundreds to protect those close to him and he would do so again. He would kill anyone who would dare to hurt his home, family and comrades.

' **The love you have for the people you hold close, it scares even me at times… Naruto.'** Lingered Kurama's thoughts as he shut his eyes.

* * *

 _ **Outside ten-miles radius around Amegakure no Sato**_

Destroyed lands, scattered kunai, shuriken, katana, shinobi headbands, years old corpses- these were the only thing in view when team Ro-Han and Jiraiya passed a few miles outside the village of Amegakure no Sato.

Naruto was horrified when his eyes scanned the land around himself. Even though he had heard countless stories of the Great Shinobi Wars from his father in his early childhood, it was still appalling for him to see so much death and destruction. He had thought he understood a little about what death meant after his encounter with those Root Anbu, but the feeling of sadness, grief and anger that was surfacing in his heart right now was several times more magnified. Naruto abruptly stopped when his eyes landed on a body with a missing head and left arm. But what caught his attention was the Konoha headband lying beside the body.

The other members of the team Ro-Han and Jiraiya too stopped on seeing Naruto's sudden halt. They noticed his sullen gaze towards the dead Konoha shinobi and their eyes softened.

Itachi stepped forward to talk to Naruto but stopped when he felt Shisui's hand on his shoulder.

"Let Jiraiya-sama talk to him. It's better if he hears it from actual family." Shisui said calmly. Itachi wanted to argue but stopped when he saw Shisui's firm gaze. Yugao and Mikasa quietly stood behind the youngest member of their team with concerned looks on their faces as Jiraiya gently placed his hand on Naruto's right shoulder.

"War is never a pretty sight, kid. In war, one is always surrounded by the red of blood and the dead bodies of your comrades lying around. It leaves a psychological scar in the minds of humans and the survivors are left in a hellish form of afterlife where the world of the living and the dead seem to converge." Jiraiya confessed. It had been a few years since he himself had stepped foot inside this country. As he looked around, memories of his team's one sided battle with Hanzo the Salamander flashed through his mind. He sighed as he never liked thinking about such fleeting moments again. He still blamed himself for not noticing the change in Orochimaru's behavior after the Second Shinobi War ended. If only he had… maybe he could have saved his friend.

"What was the point of such wars?" asked Naruto quietly. His blood red eye looked all around and recorded all the death and misery around himself as his eyes became slightly moist.

"No one can certainly say what the point of the past wars were. We shinobi know battle in our every waking breath. In the name of profit and gain for one's village and nation, shinobi have hated and killed each other for many years. We rob and are robbed, then we rob from our robbers. The shinobi system became such that, instead of people learning from the first shinobi war, more wars were waged as the hatred between the nations grew. However, I have hope or rather I believe there will come a time when people from different shinobi villages will come to truly understand and love each other." Jiraiya said with a solemn smile.

"That does really sound like a dream…" Naruto said absent mindedly. He looked around himself and found several more Konoha headband along with those from other villages lying on the ground beside dead bodies with a frown on his face while several questions were flowing through his mind.

 _Are children only raised to be shinobi so they can die for their village in a pointless war?_

 _Do the villages think of their own shinobi as expendable humans?_

 _What did the villages really gain from the past three shinobi wars except festering more hatred and conflict?_

However, Naruto stiffened a bit when he felt several large chakra signatures about fifteen miles to the east of his team's location. While most of the chakra signatures were close to his godfather Jiraiya's, two of them were surprisingly close to his own.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked with concern, seeing his godson's sudden strange demeanor.

"Everything's okay. Let's get going." Naruto said flatly. However, Itachi and Mikasa narrowed their gaze upon hearing Naruto's answer. Karasu glanced towards the direction of Amegakure and wondered what made his kohai so tense.

* * *

 _ **Two Days later, Tetsu no Kuni**_

It had been a little over two days since team Ro-Han and Jiraiya had left a battlefield where the previous two shinobi wars took place. A day later they had crossed the Land of Birds and the barren land following that with relative ease. As per Jiraiya's information, the southern borders of Tsuchi no Kuni were indeed heavily guarded by Stone Anbu but the five Konoha Anbu and the Toad Sannin were easily able to evade them. While Washi wasn't an expert in stealth compared to rest of his teammates and Jiraiya, he was able to hide his chakra completely making him invisible in the eyes of sensors. Whereas, Karasu, Tora, Usagi, Neko and Jiraiya could elude the Stone Anbu stealthily due to their years of experience.

Currently, team Ro-Han and Jiraiya were travelling across the snow-covered land of Tetsu no Kuni. The weather was extremely windy with more than eight inches of snow all around them. They had passed the Sanrō (Three Wolves) mountain a couple of hours ago and could hazily see the village a mile ahead of themselves.

"It's colder than I expected." Washi complained as he rubbed his shoulders and shivered a little. Looking around himself he huffed when he saw everyone wearing a cloak to keep themselves warm.

"I thought you would be fine in the cold weather…" Usagi commented in good humor. Neko giggled on seeing Washi's shoulder slump on hearing that comment. Tora chuckled on seeing Washi's defeated demeanor while Karasu merely sighed.

"Just bear it for a little longer. We should be outside the village in about fifteen minutes or so. The exchange of weapons and money won't take too long. Once it's done, we can leave the place as soon as possible." Jiraiya said patiently. He could already see the guards standing before the large metal gates. The gate was about thirty feet tall, made from grey cobblestone and emblazoned with the kanji for _Samurai_ on top of it.

"Fine! Fine!" Washi replied rather impatiently.

 _ **Ten Minutes Later**_

Gisei and Haru were currently on watch duty outside the gates of the village along with eight more samurai who were standing atop the wall surrounding the village. Unlike the system of shinobi villages, the samurai village kept a group of their finest samurai stationed near the gate as the first line of defense. All of them wore heavy, segmented plate armor that covered the shoulder, chest, stomach and lower back, upper back, lower side and thighs. They also wore gauntlets, shin guards and helmets. The face mask they wore had built in radios which also acted as a respirator to combat poison used by shinobi.

Gisei had swept back brown hair and dark brown eyes. He had a tall and imposing figure and normally wore a black kimono when not on duty. He is a respected member of the samurais group who has survived through the past three shinobi wars. He normally smiles with his head held high and his hands behind his back. Despite his old age, Mifune, the leader of the samurai village often comes to him for advice due to Gisei's vast knowledge about the Elemental Nation.

Haru, on the other hand was a relatively young man who was born around six years before the start of the Third Shinobi War. He had black wavy hair which fell over his face to cover the left part of his forehead. He is considered among the finest upcoming kenjutsu users in Tetsu no Kuni who was taught by Gisei himself.

Gisei and Haru, being more experienced than the others stood before the gates to gauge out any anomalies and take command if need be. Even though these were somewhat peaceful times and no shinobi village normally stepped in Tetsu no Kuni without necessity, the samurai took all their assigned tasks seriously.

Both Gisei and Haru tensed slightly and moved their hands slowly to their katana kept in their scabbard when they saw the silhouette of six people approaching them. The samurai standing atop the walls too became cautious upon seeing their commander's movements. However, Gisei, the eldest among the samurai on watch, relaxed when he recognized the Toad Sannin and the Anbu masks of the four operatives from Team Ro-Han.

"Be at ease everyone. It's Jiraiya-sama and the Anbu from Konoha. They are here regarding their village's weapons shipment." Gisei said in his usual deep voice. He narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing Jiraiya and the youngest of the Anbu, having never seen him before. In the past few years, Konoha had always sent a select group of people. So, for him to see the legendary Toad Sannin along with the Anbu was a mildly surprising.

"Hai, sensei." Replied the young voice, which belonged to Haru. Gisei sighed and shook his head upon being called that again. It had been a good few years since he had been a teacher or trained anyone in the art of kenjutsu, Haru being his last student. Shortly after the Third shinobi war, Gisei had injured his right calf which slowed down his movements considerably. Despite the injury, he was renowned among the foremost kenjutsu users in Tetsu no Kuni.

A couple more minutes passed, as the group of six people travelling from Konohagakure neared the gates of the village. Gisei asked the other samurai to stay in their positions as he and Haru stepped ahead to meet the Toad Sannin and the Anbu.

"You may stop there Jiraiya-sama, Konoha Anbu." Gisei stated professionally.

"Gisei-san. It's been quite a long time." Jiraiya said with a casual smile.

"That it has. Although, I must say, I didn't expect someone like you to be travelling with an Anbu entourage." Said the brown-haired man sarcastically. Jiraiya merely laughed at that remark with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, it's not what you're thinking. It's just for a separate mission which I was assigned. You need not worry about my presence." Jiraiya replied. The Toad Sannin saw the old man before him glance towards Naruto a few times and wondered what the aged samurai was thinking.

"Greetings, Jiraiya-sama." Haru said politely with a bow. Since childhood, he had heard a lot of tales about the Sannin of Konoha, although this was the first time, he had met a member of Densetsu no Sannin. Jiraiya nodded his head, acknowledging the youngster's presence.

Gisei smiled a little when he saw Karasu make his way toward him from the back of the group. He had met the young Anbu operative a couple of times on his duty as watch guard when Konoha shinobi came to collect the weapons shipment.

"Gisei-san, I suppose you are aware as to why we are here. The payment for all the weapons is here in this scroll along with a letter from our Yondaime Hokage." Karasu stated stoically as he handed out a scroll with the kanji for 'Payment' to Gisei.

"Hai. Hai, Karasu-kun. As stoic, as always. You should lighten up. You are still young. There's no need for you to sound serious all the time." Gisei said with a chuckle as he took the scroll from Karasu's hand. Tora and Washi laughed lightly upon hearing that comment but knew it was futile to make Itachi understand that fact. Karasu's eyebrow twitched when he heard his team's laugh but kept himself composed.

"Haru, hand this over to Mifune-sama and tell him the Konoha Anbu and Jiraiya-sama are here collect their weapons shipment and ask him if he could come here." Gisei said, handing the scroll to his student. Haru immediately took off inside the village towards the largest building where Mifune normally stayed in his office.

While Jiraiya was conversing with Gisei and Karasu with Tora, the blond Anbu wondered why it was that they weren't offered to come inside the village. He edged closer to Usagi and Neko and nudged the cat masked kunoichi slightly on her elbow to catch her attention.

"What is it Washi-kun?" she asked.

"Are we not allowed inside the village? I thought the exchange would take place in Mifune-sama's office." Naruto stated his question curiously. Gisei who had overheard the question walked towards the young blond Anbu.

"Washi-san, is it?" Gisei asked in a friendly manner.

"Hai." Replied Washi.

"You see, our village is a samurai village and since the beginning of this village we have a rule to not allow foreigners inside. We are a very private village and like to keep it that way. We samurai and shinobi are very different from each other. While shinobi use chakra for even day to day activities, samurai only use it in a fight. It's not that we don't allow shinobi to enter our village anytime. But, if we don't necessarily have to invite them inside, in that case, we don't." Gisei informed. He saw the blond fold his arms over his chest and was certain he had contemplative look on his face behind the eagle mask.

"But, isn't it necessary for rules to change for a village to progress? If one keeps following the same guidelines for several decades, they won't be able to keep up with time, won't they?" Washi asked interestingly. Gisei raised his eyebrows momentarily but nodded nonetheless.

"That is certainly a good point, young Washi-san. However, change is not always absolute. While it is true, change is necessary in human evolution, it is also an extremely hard task to bring forth and an even greater task to accept it. Even if we change our traditions now, there is no guarantee everyone in our village will uphold those traditions. We are not made of stone. Distortions will always appear somewhere. We samurai have followed the same traditions which was left to us by our forefathers. Because everyone has followed the same guidelines, we have never had any problem in our village. And because of that, we never felt the need to change anything." Gisei said sagely.

Washi was utterly shocked to know that their village never had any problems. That sort of thing was unheard of in any village. It made him briefly wonder whether distrust and hate in the elemental nations existed because of shinobi alone. Whether shinobi should even exist even in the first place. But he quickly discarded that thought out of his mind. Since childhood, he had always been taught everyone has an equal right in this world- be they samurai, shinobi or civilians. Neko slightly huffed and looked away as she wanted to explain it to her little brother herself. Usagi sighed as she saw Neko's reaction. Her cat masked friend had always been a little too revealing of her emotions. She gently patted her shoulders to ease her down.

"Still giving the young ones' lessons on our village are you, Gisei?" Mifune asked as he walked out of the village gates with a scroll in his hands along with Haru beside him. All the trade matters in the village were personally viewed by Mifune. Hence, he always made sure to be present when their village made any contact or some sort of trade with another one. Mifune has long gray hair, which almost reaches down to his waist. He has bandages wrapped around his head, to cover the wound he once received by Hanzo in their past battle. He has black eyes with distinct wrinkles underneath them and a gray goatee and moustache. Currently he wore a simple purple kimono like outfit with dark brown sandals. Mifune stared at the young blonde Anbu as his eyes widened briefly upon seeing the shade of blond hair which he had only seen in one shinobi before.

"Mifune-sama" respectfully said Jiraiya and the members of team Ro-Han.

"There's no need for formalities here. How do you do Jiraiya-sama?" Mifune asked.

"Haven't been too bad, if I must say." Jiraiya stated humbly.

"You have some interesting new additions to the Anbu this time." Mifune said rhetorically glancing towards Washi once more. Washi merely stood his ground without giving any indication that he knew Mifune was talking about him. Naruto could very well feel the man's curiosity towards him which again raised several questions in his mind.

"Mifune-sama, are the weapons we had asked to prepare last time ready?" Karasu asked, wanting to get done with the task as soon as possible. It was getting a little cold for him too. Taking out five scrolls from a bag he was carrying, he handed them over to Karasu. Each scroll had the name of the weapon that was stored in it.

"Is that everything Konoha required as of now, Karasu-san?" Mifune asked calmly.

"Hai, that shall be all. Konoha thanks you again for doing business with us." Karasu said with a polite bow.

"It's no problem at all." Mifune replied. After greeting each other farewell, team Ro-Han and Jiraiya promptly turned around and made their way out of Tetsu no Kuni. The other samurai once again bowed to their leader as he walked back into village with Gisei walking beside him.

"Interesting kid, wouldn't you say, Mifune-sama?" Gisei asked as they made their way towards Mifune's office.

"Indeed. I didn't expect the rumors to be true… We shall certainly meet again, Naruto Namikaze." Mifune said in a low whisper.

* * *

 _ **A day later, Konoha Academy**_

"Man, this is becoming a pain…" Kiba moaned as he picked up his bag to leave the academy for the day. His whole body pained from all the physical exercises he was made to do.

Today, it was Maito Guy who had taken over the class to indulge the students in his youthful display of taijutsu. While almost everyone who met the taijutsu expert, found him to be an eccentric man, when it came to physical training and practicing taijutsu, Guy was the finest teacher in Konoha.

Choji sat on his seat and ate his potato chips after the heavy workout he was made to do. While he did train at home from time to time, he had never done something so excessive. Even Shikamaru fell asleep right after he sat down on his seat in the class. All the students were made to run twenty laps around the training grounds, followed by thirty push-ups and practicing taijutsu katas for about two hours with weights tied to their arms and legs. Several of the civilian students had fallen unconscious due to extreme fatigue and were sent home early.

Shino, the quietest kid in the class also nodded his head, showing his agreement with Kiba's said statement. Members of the Aburame clan mainly relied on their kikaichu bugs during a fight and most of their jutsu also involved said bugs, which resided inside their body. Hence, not many members of that clan focused on taijutsu as much as honing their skills in using the kikaichu bugs appropriately. However, the one who was complaining the most was the Yamanaka Clan heiress.

"Ugghhh! Why would they treat us children like this?" whined Ino as she rested her head on the table. Despite being from a clan and even starting her shinobi training earlier than most civilian students, she had never taken her training seriously. Due to the sheltered life, she had lived up till now, she never saw the need to train herself relentlessly and thus has a somewhat weak physical capability. Kiba quickly left the room with his ninken, Akamaru, to get some sleep, instead of listening Ino complain about school. Normally he would have stuck around with Ino, Shikamaru and Choji, but his body felt as if it was about to fall and crumble.

"Stop your complaining Ino. It's unbecoming of a kunoichi." Sakura stated. Though her body ached a bit, she had taken the training better than most of the students. The only students who were relatively unfazed by the strenuous exercise routine were Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura. However, that was mainly because all three of them had started physically training their bodies at a young age. While Sasuke trained with his older brother, Itachi. Hinata and Sakura often trained with Naruto.

"But, they aren't treating us like kids at all. They are training us as if we will be going to war in a few years." Ino said, rather annoyed. Sasuke and Hinata simply ignored the unnecessary complaints which Ino was sprouting and quietly left the class with their bags. Sakura, upon seeing the two leave, picked her bag too and followed them out.

"Sakura, wait!" Ino yelled.

"What is it Ino?" Sakura asked. She really didn't want to miss those two. There was a time when Naruto used to walk home with her when they were kids. But after the academy started, he suddenly stopped, which had made her feel down. Ever since that day when Naruto had saved her from those bullies, she always looked up to him and regarded him as someone special since he was the first friend she had made in her age group.

However, after Naruto seemingly disappeared, she had gotten closer to Hinata and even Sasuke. Although, Sasuke still didn't talk much, but he didn't ignore her like he used to initially either.

"Do you want to come over to my house tonight? We can play something…" Ino asked. Sakura thought over it for a second or two and nodded her head with a big smile. She often went over to Ino's house or at times Ino came over to hers' and they would either talk or play something to pass the time. It was mostly the days when Sakura didn't go out to train with Hinata and Sasuke. It was a big surprise to her and Hinata when Sasuke asked if he could train with them a couple of months back. They gladly accepted it, knowing he was trying to connect to more people and training with someone their age who was extremely skilled was beneficial for all three. Since then, the three had formed a strong friendship among each other.

Soon enough, Sakura ran out of the class and made her way out of the academy to look for Hinata and Sasuke. She abruptly stopped when she found both to be waiting under the tree near the academy gates. She giggled when she saw Sasuke lean against the tree with his customary emotionless face and Hinata standing beside him. She smiled widely and walked towards them.

"Aren't you two going home?" Sakura asked jovially.

"We were waiting for you Sakura-chan." Hinata replied with a little smile.

"Hn." Sasuke grumbled as he turned around and began to walk out of the academy. Sakura laughed at his usual response as she and Hinata too followed him.

'I wish you were here too… Naruto-kun.' Thought Sakura as she walked beside her two good friends.

* * *

 _ **A day later, Team Ro-Han**_

It had been almost two days since Team Ro-Han had left Tetsu no Kuni. Just before crossing the borders of Tetsu no Kuni, Jiraiya had parted ways with them to gather more information regarding Iwagakure's plan involving Konoha and about their movements in Tori no Kuni ( _Land of Birds_ ), Kusagakure and Takigakure.

Currently, Team Ro-Han was travelling through the forests of Tori no Kuni with the same formation when they were travelling from Konoha to Tetsu no Kuni. With Washi at the front, he served as the team's sensor. Even though it was bright out in the open, the thick forests prevented much of the sunlight to fall on the ground and made the path they were travelling comparatively dark.

As Washi jumped from one tree to another, he was deeply in thought about the several chakra signatures he had sensed a few days ago in Amegakure. For some reason, it had been troubling him for the past few days. It seemed unnatural to him for a dozen of strong chakra signatures in comparison to his sensei, father and his to be gathered in a single place. Another thing troubling Naruto was the lack of information regarding Amegakure. From what he had read in the books and from what he had seen himself, the country in which Amegakure resided, was the battle ground for the Second and Third Shinobi War. Most of the habitants of the country were either killed or severely injured in the crossfire between different nations. And, no one knew what had transpired with Hanzo the Salamander after the Third Shinobi War. Some believe him to a paranoid person who's in hiding inside his own country, but still to be in control of Amegakure.

As he got out of his thoughts, his eyes widened a bit when he sensed ten chakra signatures surrounding their team from both sides. Making hand gestures with his left hand to relay the information to his team, he immediately informed them about the predicament they were in.

Karasu, Tora, Usagi and Neko, who were behind the eagle masked Anbu, looked around themselves and confirmed what they had been told. However, rather than stopping, they kept moving forward. They were not here to engage with the enemy. If the enemy wasn't going to attack, they would simply return to their own village, without having to face any unnecessary situation.

However, as Naruto was about to step on the next branch, he heard several kunai coming towards his team from several different directions. Promptly, every member of team Ro-Han jumped away from their positions and landed on the ground safely. The kunai that were thrown earlier clashed against each other and exploding tags attached to them exploded causing a larger explosion than they had anticipated. Several trees were blasted away or were caught on fire due to the explosion.

'That was no ordinary explosion tag.' Karasu thought.

"Be on your guard everyone. Based on Jiraiya-sama's information, it is likely that these shinobi are from Iwagakure, who were here on patrol." Karasu stated firmly. A few seconds later, a group of twenty shinobi surrounded them atop trees. Each wearing the Iwagakure head protector and light brown flak jacket.

"The Explosion Corps of Iwagakure." Usagi commented bitterly. Washi remembered reading about the Explosion Corps, who were also regarded as the demolition team of the Rock Country. They were a branch of Stone Anbu in Iwagakure who were used to end a battle quickly due to their destructive nature.

"Oh? You know about us then?" commented one of the Iwa shinobi with a smirk.

Naruto momentarily closed his eyes and gauged the chakra levels of each one of the Iwa shinobi in a span of less than two seconds.

"Taichou, most of them jounin levels. But, the one standing in the middle has close to Kage level chakra reserves." Washi reported to Karasu.

"Quite a skilled sensor you have there, Konoha Anbu. Let's see how long your pathetic Leaf group lasts against the Explosion Corps of Iwagakure." Commented the Iwa shinobi in the middle with a wicked smirk as all the Iwa shinobis standing atop trees jumped down upon the awaiting team Ro-Han.

Karasu quickly glanced towards Tora, Usagi, Neko and Washi and nodded his head.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter! I will really try posting (I promise) the next chapter by 14 July, 2017.**

 **My apologies for the relatively short length of the chapter, compared to this story's other ones. Next ones will be the usual 8700-9000 words.**

 **As I had said earlier, the chapters involving Naruto's life in Anbu will be a lot, and I would like to go into details about his experiences in the Anbu. So, the story progress may seem to be a bit slow. But, I will try to make it as interesting as I can. So, the next chapter shows Naruto's first fight as a registered shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, that too against the explosion Corps of Iwagakure. Deidera was the leader of Explosion Corps before he joined the Akatsuki and the shinobi who took the role of leader is on par with Deidera. Next chapter, I will also portray how exactly Hinata's feelings towards Naruto have developed for the better or worse and how much stronger she has become.**

 **I am really glad, people are coming to like the story and it makes me happy to read all your reviews on this story. Thanks a lot guys! Do follow, favorite and review the story again if you come to like how it's progressing!**

 **Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I don't even know what to say about this late update. I really thought I would update on time, but there were minor things which were keeping me busy.**

 **So, this chapter shows the transition as to which path the story will be taking in the future and the fact that, there will be people who are stronger than Naruto than he is now. Also, I will be completing both my stories. I may not be updating them regularly, but I will complete them. It's just that, it's summer now and I will mostly be punctual once fall starts.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway, let's continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The Instigator**

* * *

Karasu quickly glanced towards Tora, Usagi, Neko and Washi and nodded his head. Their team had worked on several strategies and ways of fighting a group of enemies together on several occasions in case the need ever arose.

Neko, Usagi and Washi quickly jumped ahead of their own team and went through a few hand seals at an alarming speed. Karasu dissolved into several crows and disappeared from the views of enemy shinobi, while Tora seemingly vanished too. Tora, Usagi and Washi were by far the most advanced in the use of Shunshin no Jutsu in the Anbu.

" **Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu** _(Water Release: Water Dragon)_ " Naruto said promptly. In less than a second, a forty feet long water dragon with menacing yellow eyes materialized above team Ro Han and spiraled up swiftly, towards the incoming members of the Exploding Corps. Meanwhile, Usagi, who was among the best users of raiton ninjutsu in the village, supplied the large water dragon with raiton natured chakra which made the dragon look further ominous.

" **Doton: Ishi no Yari** _(Earth Release: Earth Spears)_ " Neko said quickly, as extremely sharp spears about twelve feet tall rose from ground all around team Ro Han.

All the shinobi of the Explosion Corps were wide eyed and horrified upon seeing the large electrified water dragon charging towards them. In the blink of an eye, the water dragon tore through the shinobi, who were too slow to make a move, along with destroying few of the surrounding trees instantly. Gari, the leader of the Explosion corps unit along with twelve other members had quite luckily escaped using the **Shunshin no Jutsu** at the very last second. As the water dragon impacted its targets with a tremendous force, eight of the Iwa shinobi were pushed high into the air like a rag doll- the result of which made their already unconscious bodies to freefall towards the ground after a few seconds. By now, Neko, Usagi and Washi had left their spots and regrouped with the rest of their team.

The Iwagakure shinobi who had escaped the suiton ninjutsu assault now stood on the tree branches with extreme caution. They still could not comprehend that such a young shinobi could utilize that high level of suiton technique so effortlessly.

As their gazes moved towards the ground in search of the Konoha Anbu team, fear and horror were the emotions that were clearly visible in their pale eyes. What was once a plain ground, was now littered with the bodies of their comrades, with earth spears sticking out of their bodies. The water from the prior attack flowed red due to the copious amount of blood flowing through the dead bodies of the Iwa shinobi. That fear and horror however turned to hatred and rage as they witnessed how brutally their comrades had been killed.

'To be able to use the water particles in the atmosphere. I haven't heard of anyone do that except of the Nidaime Hokage. Who the hell is that kid?' Gari thought irritatingly as he grinded his teeth.

"Dammit. Fucking eight of us are already dead due to those three Anbu." yelled one of the Iwa shinobi furiously as he smashed his fist against the bark of the tree he was standing on. The others too agreed to the statement. It was hard for everyone to believe, eight of their own team were taken out so quickly.

"This is no time to be whining. We have our orders from Tsuchikage. Focus on the enemy Suzaku!" Gari stated firmly.

"H… Hai Taichou!" replied Suzaku, the newest recruit of their group with uncertainty.

Signaling to his team through hand signs, the remaining alive members of the Explosion Corps quickly jumped onto the ground that hadn't been turned into spears by Neko. The very next second however, he had to swiftly jump back as he barely dodged the chokutō held by the Washi masked Anbu. However, he clicked his tongue in pain as a sudden pain jolted through his right arm and upon noticing he realized, it was cut slightly. Disregarding the pain and looking straight ahead, he analyzed how the other four Konoha Anbu were strategically standing to their ten o'clock and two o'clock position.

'These Anbu are more trouble than I had realized. It's no wonder Tsuchikage-sama wanted to get rid of this particular Anbu team in the beginning.' Gari thought as he analyzed the enemies around his team.

"Don't fear for your life men. We serve the great nation of Tsuchi no Kuni. No matter what may happen, no matter what the obstacle in front of us, we must make the Tsuchikage proud. These Konoha men must fall today, no matter the cost!" Gari yelled.

"Hai Taichou!" shouted all the men as they readied their kunai or tantō.

"Bold words coming from you Gari-san. Are you that assure of your victory against us?" Karasu asked flatly who was standing beside Usagi to the Iwa shinobi's ten o'clock.

"We don't wish to fight. If you let us leave without any more trouble, your men won't have to die in vain." Usagi stated discordantly as she gripped her tantō in anticipation. She wouldn't lie to herself, she wanted to slaughter these men, but that was not something her village or her parents had ever taught her.

Before Gari could stop his men, two of them jumped straight towards Usagi and Karasu, their tantō sharply pointed at their abdomen and jugular vein. Reacting quicker, Usagi took out two kunai from her pouch with her free hand and coated them with raiton chakra. Before the two Iwa shinobi could realize what had happened, the two kunai were already lodged in their forehead, as blood poured out of their bodies. Each of the Iwa shinobi remained still as another one of their own fell dead on the ground.

"Why do you still fight?" asked Washi a bit sadly. The question had been bugging him since the time the two teams had encountered each other. Naruto didn't even flinch when the two lifeless bodies of the Iwagakure shinobi fell to his right.

"What will you get out of this fight?" asked Washi again.

"Don't be naïve kid! Konohagakure and Iwagakure have never looked each other eye to eye. Even after the end of Great Clan Wars, when the villages were formed, it was Madara Uchiha who broke off the alliance between Iwagakure and Konohagakure. Then it was his damned son, Minato Namikaze, who killed thousands of our people in mere seconds! Konoha shinobi have never shown us anything but contempt or abhorrence. Between our two nation, there can be nothing but endless war and hatred until either one of us is destroyed!" Gari stated as a matter of fact.

"So, does that mean you must kill even those who are innocent and have not wronged you?" Washi asked flatly as he clenched his fists tightly.

"In a war, it's only natural to kill your enemy- be they shinobi or harmless civilians. If they are your enemy, the only place they belong to is in their grave!" Gari stated impassively as he started going through a long series of hand seals. Karasu, Tora, Usagi and Neko became slightly alert and readied themselves, even though they knew that their youngest member will be able to hold himself just fine.

" **Raiton: Rensa Raikou no Jutsu** " Gari said, as electricity started crackling in both of his hands and launched a continuous stream of lightning towards the blond haired Konoha Anbu.

At that moment, Naruto understood an inconsequential fact as he gazed into those eyes filled with contempt. Out of love, sacrifice is born, out of sacrifice, hatred is born and we come to understand pain. The sort of pain that dims one's view of reality. Just as the stream of lightning was within a foot of the young Anbu, Washi focused his right eye solely on Gari. The very next second, the stream of lightning scattered and Gari flew back with an enormous force and crashed into several of the earth spears which were formed earlier roughly.

In the past few months, Naruto had learnt to control the range of his gravity manipulation and had gotten the hang of how much chakra had to be molded. Hence, he could now use his attacks either on a large scale or on a small scale depending on the situation.

Upon seeing his taichou pushed around so easily, Suzaku immediately ran toward the blond Konoha Anbu with his tantō pointed at him in a fit of rage.

"YOU bastard!" hollered Suzaku fiercely.

However, he halted midway as a muffled scream escaped his lips. He tilted his head down to see a chokutō sticking out of his heart. Looking slightly up, all he saw was the glowing red and silver eyes of the Washi masked Anbu.

"Wh… Wha… What are… you?" Suzaku asked fearfully as he gurgled up blood from his mouth.

"Your death…" whispered Washi darkly. Soon enough his dead body fell on the ground with a resounding thud.

Gari who shakily stood up on his spot glared at the Washi masked Anbu. Now that he noticed the young Anbu, his blond hair did look eerily similar to the Yondaime Hokage. He was aware about the Yondaime Hokage having a kid, but it was still unclear to him whether the Anbu in front of him was that man's son. Ridding himself of those thoughts, he went through a few hand seals and gathered large amounts of chakra in his left hand which began to give off a reddish and orange glow.

"Everyone get back!" Karasu ordered hastily who had taken notice of Gari. He knew that much amount of chakra upon contact with the ground would no doubt cause a large explosion. Tora, Karasu, Usagi, Neko and Washi immediately shunshined about eight hundred meters away from Gari.

The other eight shinobi of the Explosion Corps shook off the cobwebs off their mind and promptly jumped further away from their taichou to not get involved in the explosion.

" **Bakuton: Jiraiken** " yelled Gari as he punched the ground. As his fists contacted the earth, a gigantic shockwave passed through the ground. Several trees were subsequently uprooted along with ground to shatter and large number of debris to fly around. Due to the explosion, the visibility around the area also reduced as result of the dust particles which were scattered in the air.

"EVERYONE, ATTACK FORMATION Z!" commanded Gari murderously. The remaining eight members of Explosion Corps looked towards their leader with shock momentarily. That type of formation had been chosen to be used only when they had exhausted all their other options.

Even though, he had lost several members of his team today, the only hint of emotion visible on his face was that of pure hatred. All he wanted to do right now was _butcher_ these Konoha Anbu, especially the blond haired one. Because of Konoha, Iwagakure had suffered a lot humiliation in the past few years. Because of Yondaime, thousands of Iwagakure shinobi were killed in a span of two minutes and there was no Konoha shinobi he despised more than the current Hokage. He was prepared to die today as long as he took down these Konoha scum. He would do what was asked of him by his Tsuchikage, _no matter the cost_.

As the dust particles in the air began to settle down every member of team Ro Han steadied themselves for the bloodbath that was about to follow. The remaining eight members of the Explosion Corps then surrounded the five Konoha Anbu from all directions.

" **Doton: Sando no Jutsu"** yelled the Iwagakure shinobi ferociously, pumping the rest of their remaining chakra into this highly destructive jutsu. Four enormous rocks walls about eighty feet in height started closing in on the team of Konoha Anbu from all four directions with tremendous force, destroying everything that laid before its path.

Each member of team Ro Han's eyes widened on seeing the scale and the destructive force of the jutsu. However, before they could make a move, they heard the shout of Gari, who was now standing directly above them on one of the walls which coming towards them quickly.

" **Doton: Doryuudan** " Gari shouted, forming a large mud dragon with white glowing eyes. Suddenly, he climbed atop the tail of the mud dragon and gave a dark smirk to the Konoha shinobi who were staring at him. Both his hands started to glow a reddish-orange color as the mud dragon began descending towards team Ro Han.

Karasu, Tora and Usagi's eyes widened dramatically as they realized what Gari was about to do.

"Washi, will you able to stop the stop the walls advancing towards us?" Karasu asked urgently.

"Hai. Leave it to me taichou." Washi said curtly. Washi immediately made four **Kage Bunshins** of himself. All of them immediately jumped in the directions of the incoming rock walls and clasped their hands, taking in the nature energy that was in the atmosphere.

"HAHAH! It's no use! You're all going to die now!" shouted Gari madly upon seeing what he thought were the futile efforts to get away from their technique.

These combinations of techniques were the most efficient and devastating technique his group possessed. While, surrounding the enemy from all four directions with rock walls moving towards them with tremendous force kept the enemy mobilized to a limited spot, his mud dragon along with his **bakuton** ninjutsu from above provided the perfect attack. All he needed to do was provide the mud dragon with his bakuton natured chakra as it got within twenty feet of the enemy and it would explode destroying everything near itself. And, with him standing at the end of the mud dragon, gave him the opportunity to escape, albeit briefly.

Karasu glanced towards Tora, Usagi and Neko and was glad that the three understood him well enough even in these situations.

" **Susanoo!** " Tora whispered as large quantities of chakra exploded out of the eldest Uchiha of team Ro Han. Thereafter, a large green humanoid skeletal structure with a torso formed around himself. Usagi and Neko who were also inside the Susanoo were simply amazed as it was their first time witnessing a technique of the mangekyō sharingan.

Karasu stood alongside Washi as they both eyed the mud dragon and Gari who approached them from above.

"Let's do it taichou!" Washi whispered. Karasu simply nodded showing his acceptance.

As Naruto focused the rinnegan in his right eye on the mud dragon while forming the ram hand seal, Itachi's own pair of eyes turned to the mangekyō sharingan which resembled three spiraling black curves around the red pupil.

" **Bakuton: Chikyū o bakuhatsu sa seru** " cried Gari as he poured the remaining of his chakra into his palm and rested them on the surface of the mud dragon, which began giving off a white glow.

" **Enton: Kagutsuchi** " Naruto said as he focused his right eye's gaze at the head of the mud dragon.

" **Amaterasu** " said Itachi. As soon as Naruto casted his jutsu, the black flames of Amaterasu took the form of an arrow and speedily rushed towards the mud dragon. The black flames brought forth by Itachi further added to the destructive nature of jutsu casted by Naruto.

" **Senpo: Kami no Te** " yelled the Kage Bunshin of Naruto's as they punched the walls with the chakra manifested around their left arm, that were about thirty feet away from them now. The force behind the punch was such that, the rock walls broke into several of smaller pieces and flew back towards the eight Iwa shinobi who were appalled at the strength shown. The debris from the broken rock wall subsequently fell atop the eight Iwa shinobi who were too shell shocked to make any movements. The Susanoo surrounding Shisui, Neko and Usagi protected them from any of debris that were flying around while Naruto easily deflected any debris around Itachi and himself by manipulating the gravity around themselves.

Tora, Usagi and Neko watched with anticipated eyes as the arrow made of black flames approached the mud dragon. Gari who's mind was consumed by the hatred and rage he felt towards the Konoha shinobi continued forward instead of even trying to dodge the black arrow or look around himself to notice that his team was already down. As soon as Naruto's and Itachi combined jutsu contacted Gari's jutsu, the entire mud dragon lit ablaze with black flames and changed its trajectory due to parts of dragon falling apart continuously.

"Let's get out of here quickly, before Gari does something else." Karasu stated, although a bit painfully as he coughed a little. Using the mangekyō sharingan was affecting his health and body, which was not missed by either Naruto or Shisui.

Gari however, managed to fend off the black flames by jumping away at the last moment. While in midair, Gari smirked wildly and said, " **Katsu** ". And whatever was remaining of the mud dragon exploded, causing a huge gust of wind which ended up destroying a small portion of the land.

However, the momentary distraction caused by the black flames of Amaterasu consuming the mud dragon had given the Konoha Anbu team ample time to make an escape from the blast radius. As the dust started to clear from the area, Gari was seen to be lying unconscious in the crater that was created due to the explosion that took place. All around him were the cut down parts of trees, large and some pieces of rocks and especially the dead bodies of all his other team mates.

A few minutes later, a plant like creature emerged from the branch of a tree a few miles away from the battle area. While half of its body was black, the other half was entirely white. It had two Venus-flytrap like extensions that emerged from their sides, enveloping their head and upper body as a shell.

"The Kyubi child is strong!" exclaimed the white half of the creature.

'He's going to be trouble in the future if he keeps progressing at this rate. He already has quite a bit of control of his Rinnegan's prowess and his mangekyō is different too. Even from this far, I could feel it.' Thought the black half a bit worriedly.

"We have to take Gari's body back to the base as per Leader-sama's orders. That fool of a leader of the Explosion Corps was easy to manipulate. Once the Tsuchikage hears about this, I don't think he's going to leave Konoha alone. War between the two nations will be inevitable after this event." Said the black half with a sinister smile.

* * *

 ** _Hokage Tower, Konohagakure no Sato_**

Minato stood with his hands behind his back beside his chair and looked upon the village through the window in the Hokage's office. The village where he grew up, he always admired it for its everlasting beauty. He frowned as he thought about the stain that covered his home.

Ever since Danzo had fled Konoha, Minato had appointed a separate team of Anbu to investigate all the hideouts of the Root Leader. And to know that the old war hawk was colluding with the Tsuchikage and Orochimaru along with conducting experiments with Hashirama Senju's cells as the research material made him wonder where he went wrong in his role as the Hokage. If actions such as those went unnoticed by him, what other treacherous moves did Danzo take that slid right past him.

He sighed tiredly as he finally sat down on his chair. Even though the village looked serene and peaceful, his job wasn't. The massacre of the Uchiha clan had put a heavy dent in the military power of Konohagakure no Sato. Most of the available shinobi take extra missions to keep up with the demands that are sent to Konoha. Another matter which had him worried was Iwagakure. Jiraiya's last message stated how Onohki is making his shinobi advance steadily towards the Land of Fire. An all-out war with Iwagakure no Sato would be disastrous for Konoha. Despite Sunagakure being an ally to Konoha, the minor tension between the two villages haven't subsided since the end of the Third Shinobi War. And with Kumogakure being the opportunistic village they are, their part in the war would be uncertain. The only solace Minato had was the fact that neither Sunagakure or Kirigakure would go against Konoha.

The Hokage was jerked out of his thoughts as he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in". Minato said.

Iruka, carrying several documents with himself walked into the office and kept all the documents on Minato's desk.

"Are those all of the reports that I had asked you to prepare, Iruka?" Minato asked.

"Hai Hokage-sama." Iruka said a little uncomfortably, which did not go unnoticed by Minato.

"Speak your mind Iruka. Is there a matter troubling you?" Minato urged.

"It's just, I believe the things are moving too fast for the academy students now. I mean, we are in a time of peace currently. So, to increase their graduation age so they could learn advanced topics in ninjutsu along with basic knowledge of other fields seems a bit ahead of time. It just seems as if, you are preparing the students for something extreme in the future." Iruka confessed. Minato sighed upon hearing the academy teacher's viewpoint on his decision. He knew while there were those who readily agreed to his decision, mainly shinobi clans, there was also a faction of people who doubted his way of thinking.

"You are correct Iruka. But it is for their own good as well as for Konoha's welfare. The better prepared our shinobi are, the better chances will be." Minato said.

"Prepare for what Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked with a sense of foreboding.

"The current generation of graduating students haven't seen war like we have. Shinobi like you and I were born during war time and have seen how grotesque it gets. We have seen the deaths of those we held close and know the feeling of hatred. But these kids, they don't. They need to be prepared for what will be coming. It will be inevitable in the future Iruka." Minato said with a sigh as he rested his chin on his hands.

Iruka's eyes widened as he understood the meaning behind those words. He cursed himself for thinking the peace that settled in the Elemental nations would last. A look of realization and sadness came upon his face as several things began making sense to him.

"Is that why Naruto was taken out of academy early, Hokage-sama?" Iruka questioned.

"You are a wise man, Iruka. I'm sure the students have learned well under you in their first three years." Minato said with a small smile. Iruka simply nodded and left the room without saying anything further. Minato rested back on his chair as his eyes lingered on towards the ceiling.

It was a sad fact indeed. Because of who Naruto is and because of the power he holds, his life will be as far away from normalcy.

A few minutes later, Minato released a chakra burst and soon enough four Anbu belonging to the Hokage Guard Platoon appeared in front of him, from seemingly nowhere. Since the foundation of the Anbu organization by the Nidaime Hokage, chakra bursts have been used a means of communication among the higher rankings ninjas of the Hidden Leaf village.

"Tell Kakashi, Tsunade-sama, Asuma, Kurenai and Genma to come to my office early tomorrow morning." Minato ordered.

"Hai Hokage-sama." Said the four in unison before they once again disappeared from the office.

'I will have to call for another council meeting soon enough.' Minato thought, a bit irritatingly. He was never fond of them, since a lot of times it involved him listening to other people bickering in front him.

* * *

 ** _Later at evening, Hyūga Compound_**

"Again." Said Hiashi firmly.

"Hai tou-sama." Hinata replied in a curt tone, appropriate for the heiress of the prestigious Hyūga Clan. Keeping her right arm slightly bent upward, she pushed her left arm back and kept it at a right angle, a few inches below her other arm.

"Hajime!" Hiashi stated.

With a determined gaze, Hinata sped towards the training dummy that stood twelve feet in front of her. As soon as she came close to it, she swiftly moved her left hand's index finger to hit the marked points on the training dummy which symbolized the tenketsu points on a human being. However, the challenging aspect about this training exercise was that Hinata had to hit 150 points on the training dummy in less than 5 seconds.

And it was absolutely mesmerizing. Each one of her strikes were precise and the motion of her left arm was simply aesthetic. The fluidity and swiftness she displayed looked akin to an eagle soaring high through the free skies. Hiashi gave a rare smile upon seeing the progress her daughter had made in the past few months. While she was still beyond good for her age earlier, Hiashi believed she lacked focus in her eyes, which is significant for a shinobi to possess. But gazing into her silvery-white eyes now, he could see a glimmer of purpose and a sense of responsibility. He briefly wondered if it was due to the Hokage's kid, but didn't dwell on it too long.

It made him proud and sad at the same time. Contrary to popular beliefs Hiashi isn't always strict, firm or indifferent all the time. His two daughters and his wife have always been the center of his world and he cherished all three of them dearly. But the position of the Clan Head did demand him to be often stern, cold to even his own family and made him spend less time with his own children.

"That was better Hinata. You hit all the marks in about four seconds this time. Remember this, the more experienced you are in using gentle fist without the aid of your Byakugan, the better your skills will be when you do use your Kekkei Genkai amid a battle." Hiashi said wisely. Hinata simply nodded, rather than saying anything. She had been practicing this form of exercise to better improve her taijutsu in Gentle Fist.

"Are you tired?" asked Hiashi with hands folded over his chest and slight intimidating eyes.

"I can train more tou-sama." Hinata replied firmly. Hiashi felt immensely proud to see the kunoichi her eldest daughter was turning into. Easing himself, he rested his left hand on Hinata's head and ruffled her hair gently. Hinata's eyes widened a little but she kept her emotions to herself. However, her hands did shake a little from the gentle pat on her head. She could count the moments her father had shown her affection in her two hands. Even though her father seemed cold to her on a lot of occasions, she cherished the moments he showed her affection.

"Do you want to go sit for a while?" Hiashi asked gently.

"Uhuh." Hinata mumbled softly.

The father and daughter walked to the porch in the garden and sat quietly. A few minutes and none had spoken any words. Hinata absent mindedly looked at the moon which was shone brightly in the darkening sky. The moon often reminded her of Naruto, because of the silvery glow of both the moon and his right eye. She grimaced a little as she realized it was quite ironic.

Both were beautiful, yet surrounded by darkness and loneliness.

"Something the matter, Hinata?" Hiashi asked as he saw the strange expression on her face.

"It's nothing tou-sama…" Hinata replied, a bit embarrassed at being caught.

"They say, daughters tend to be really close to their father. I may not be the ideal father you may desire, but I do wish to know." Hiashi said honestly. A sad look came upon Hinata's face upon understanding pain behind those words.

Inching closer to her father, she hugged embraced him lovingly and rested her head on his left arm. Closing her eyes, she sighed contently as she felt his warmth.

"You're growing to be a fine shinobi…" Hiashi stated as he put his arm across Hinata's small body and pulled her closer.

"…and a fine lady, Hinata." He whispered. Hinata smiled as she heard the last part as her eyes watered a little.

"Tou-sama, I have a request." Hinata said, looking firmly in her father's eyes as she sat up straight again.

"Go on." Hiashi said.

"I wish to learn elemental ninjutsu. Kakashi-sensei made us find our chakra nature in the academy yesterday. I know our clan favors taijutsu more, but I want to be versatile. I want to be adept in various field, not just in taijutsu." Hinata explained. For a few seconds, Hiashi intently looked at Hinata which made the young girl fidget a bit under those stern eyes.

"What is your chakra nature?" Hiashi asked after a moment.

"Katon and Raiton, tou-sama." Replied Hinata.

"Two chakra natures?" asked Hiashi extremely surprised. Hinata merely nodded answering her father's question.

"The Hyūga Clan values its taijutsu form of combat above everything else, Hinata. Because of how our taijutsu varies from other clan's and depends on our Kekkei Genkai, we have never needed the use of elemental ninjutsu. Do you understand what I'm trying to say Hinata?" Hiashi asked with a serious look on his face.

"Does that mean I am not allowed to learn ninjutsu?" Hinata asked in confusion.

"You can, Hinata, if you honor the Hyūga Clan's juken. Tomorrow, I will tell you about the founder of the Hyūga Clan. That information is passed down from every clan head to the next clan heir or heiress." Hiashi stated calmly. Startled by her father's statement, she stared at him for a good few seconds. She came back to her senses as she heard her father chuckle lightly.

"Tou-sama?" Hinata asked with a comical look on her face. It was exceedingly rare for her to see her father laugh and frankly, it was refreshing for her to see that.

"It's nothing Hinata. Don't worry about it." Hiashi said with a wave of his right hand. As the winter breeze flowed through gardens of the Hyūga Compound, the tree leaves rustled and small ripples formed on the pond's surface. Hiashi and Hinata quietly sat there in the garden's porch and enjoyed the fresh breeze of the frosty season until they both heard a loud voice.

"Nee-sama! Tou-sama! Kaa-sama is calling us for dinner!" called out a young voice. Hinata smiled on hearing her sister's loud voice while Hiashi simply shook his head. Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi Hyūga was quite the handful. Though only five years old, she seemed to have endless energy and stamina for someone her age. It was sufficed to say she was what brought joy to their life even during these times.

* * *

 ** _Late at night deep within the Forests of Land of Fire (Northwest of Konoha)_**

"It's a pity that a human's reality is so fickle. A mere emotion such as hatred or love can cause the most unconceivable of tremors in their life. My dear Kaguya, must you have run away from the clan, all those years ago? What is it that you would have said, had you the chance to look upon your world again?" asked the figure to himself solemnly.

A man with medium sized greyish-blue spiky stood on top of a tree with his eyes fixed at the moon. He wore pale blue shirt with back cuffs and a high collar over which he wore another darker appendage with a grey sash wrapped around his waist. He also wore grey pants and black, flat shoes on his feet which were upturned at the toes.

Turning his head to his right, he gazed into the depths of the forests in the direction of Konohagakure no Sato.

"You have grown well… my young Ōtsutsuki prince. Our paths shall cross soon and when they do, I shall only hope that you are prepared for what is to come." Said the figure. Clicking his fingers, a blackish purple portal opened beside him as he stepped into it, as his presence completely disappeared from this world.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I'm not going to mention next date of update. I feel bad when I do mention and don't update it then. Unfair to readers also. I will try updating as soon as I can though.**

 **I have a really interesting plot regarding the person who was mentioned at the end. The person is related to the Otsutsuki Clan. It's neither Momoshiki nor Kinshiki. They will be involved in the story. But, not now. Also, with the Tsuchikage learning that Konoha shinobi attacked his own shinobi for no reason, it's definitely going to rile him up.**

 **Once again, I really appreciate the reviews for the story and thank you to all, who are reading the story. Please do Follow, Favorite and Review if you come to like the story!**

 **Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Looming Crisis**

* * *

 _ **Later at night**_

It had been almost ten hours since their fight with the Explosion Corps and the members of team Ro Han had run continuously to make their way towards Konoha. Currently, all the members were resting in a secluded area, few miles outside of a small town called Tanzaku Gai. To get away from the area of their previous battle, all the members had rushed at top of their speed, thus exhausting themselves in the process. It was just past midnight and the sky was clear, giving off a magical view of the millions of stars that were visible to the naked eye.

Yugao and Mikasa were soundly asleep in the sleeping bag which they generally carried with themselves during missions which took longer than a day. Despite being Anbu and being regarded as the elites of their village, they too tend to get tired. And after the close battle they had with the Iwagakure shinobi, which luckily everyone had survived, they all deemed it necessary to rest for a few hours. And then proceed towards Konoha at the stroke of first light in the morning. Since they were deep within the Fire Nation and somewhat close to the village, they could rest easy knowing that there wouldn't be another enemy attack. While Shisui stayed close to the girls and kept watch, Naruto and Itachi were a few hundred meters away, to the group's north. Naruto had made a few Kage Bunshins and scattered them all around to be on the look out for anything suspicious.

They two currently rested atop the branch of a tall tree, from where one could get a panoramic view of the surrounding. The wind too was cool and crisp, like a refreshing drink of cool water after hours in the desert, making it an ideal night for one to just sit outside nonchalantly. Naruto and Itachi had been sitting silently for quite a while, simply observing the surrounding around them. Slightly glancing towards Itachi from time to time, Naruto had noticed that his health was not well. The strain caused in his eyes due to the use of Mangekyo Sharingan was evidently clear earlier. His father had mentioned that, one who awakens the mangekyo sharingan normally starts to lose sight in their eyes with frequent use. Naruto was aware that his own case, however, was different because of his extremely high regenerative powers, strong life force and potent chakra that made sure the light in his eyes would never fade away.

"You shouldn't use those eyes too much, Itachi." Commented Naruto, to break the silence.

"I know… I think I'm already beginning to lose my eyesight slowly." Itachi stated frankly. Ever since he awakened his mangekyo sharingan, he had used it in training a couple of times and the strain he felt in his eyes was unbelievable. And with every time he used those eyes, he felt his vision getting blurrier.

"You did read the stone tablet in the Naka shrine, right?" Naruto asked curiously, even though he had an inkling that Itachi already did. Even though Naruto himself never read the script on the stone tablet, his father had informed him about everything related to it.

"I did, and I'm aware about the eternal mangekyo sharingan. But, that is not something I wish for right now. The possibility does seem appealing, but I wouldn't want my brother to go through such pain just to augment my own visual prowess…" confessed Itachi.

"You're wrong Itachi. Sasuke isn't weak and he certainly is not a naïve kid anymore." Naruto replied rather irritatingly. At times Itachi was too pacifist in his way thinking. He saw Itachi giving him a questioning look and found himself slightly amused at the current scenario. Normally, it would be Itachi explaining him things, not the other way around.

"You need to stop treating Sasuke as if he's a mere child. You must stop sheltering him from the truths and practicalities of the shinobi world. I believe, Sasuke will one day become a great and important shinobi for Konohagakure no Sato. He has already seen his clan get massacred and he knows what pain is. Don't put the entire burden on yourself." Naruto stated wisely. Meanwhile, Itachi listened to each word carefully and understood Naruto's perspective. Hearing those words made him wonder, maybe if he was honest with his little brother from the beginning, Sasuke may have made his father see things differently. Maybe if he hadn't tried to shoulder all the responsibilities alone, his clan may still be alive.

"I suppose you're right. Sheltering him from the darkness that resides in this shinobi world will only cause him more trouble." Itachi admitted.

A small smile formed on Naruto's face upon sensing the feelings that were flowing through Itachi's mind. He hated seeing someone precious to him in agony and honestly, it hurt him too. He had promised himself that he would create a world where everyone he loved could live happily. But, if couldn't even look after those close to him, how could he ever hope of achieving such a world. Feeling a little tired, Naruto yawned lazily as he remembered, he barely got any sleep himself in the past couple of days.

"Let me heal you for the time being. I think, I'm feeling a little tired from all the running and fighting in the past two days. I think I too will sleep in a while." Naruto said. Coming out of his thoughts, Itachi nodded and moved closer to his kohai. Placing his right palm on Itachi's forehead, Naruto closed his eyes and shortly, green colored chakra enveloped his hand which began flowing through Itachi. Instantly, Itachi felt his chakra reserves being replenished along with the stinging pain at the back of his head diminish. A smile momentarily framed his face as he felt himself being rejuvenated.

"You should sleep too, you know? Even you haven't gotten much rest." Naruto suggested.

"I appreciate for what you did, Naruto. But, I believe I'm okay. It will be morning shortly and we need to get to Konoha as soon as possible. Hokage-sama needs to know that Iwagakure have already breached through the borders of Land of Birds and attacked Konoha shinobi on the orders of Tsuchikage. If we are not well prepared, Konoha might very well be attacked by Iwagakure soon enough." Itachi stated gravely. Naruto nodded, as realization dawned on him regarding what Itachi truly meant. He has heard rumors of the Tsuchikage often using mercenaries instead of his own shinobi for questionable missions more than often. So, he wouldn't put it past someone of Ohnoki's stature to already have help from someone within the Fire Nation. Also, with Danzo and Orochimaru on the loose, it certainly wasn't any safer for Konoha. Despite not having met the Tsuchikage himself, Naruto did not have a good impression about him.

Soon enough, the two again became silent and the only sound audible was the soft breeze fluttering around, gently caressing everything it touched with fingers that had been a comfort to so many over their long, lonely years.

"How long are you planning to be there, Shisui?" Naruto called out. Both Naruto and Itachi were now staring to their far left, where Shisui came into view as he stepped towards them.

"I guess, I'm not surprised that you guys already knew about my presence there." Shisui said casually.

"You should know by now, that I can sense you from miles away." Naruto laughed with a sheepish grin. Shisui and Itachi simply shook their heads as Naruto boasted about his sensing ability. The boy was undoubtedly too good for his age.

"Yeah, yeah whatever…" scoffed Shisui as he folded his arms over his chest.

"How are your eyes holding up? You were in pretty bad shape last time you used your Mangekyo." Naruto asked worriedly.

"It's not so bad. I think I'm getting used to them." Shisui said as he stretched his arms lightly. Despite having said that, his body did in fact felt a little sore. But, it was nothing he couldn't handle. He was more worried about Itachi though. Shisui knew about the sickness his friend had but was promised not to disclose it to anyone else.

"That's good to know! Anyway, I think, I'm heading to sleep now. Wake me up in the morning when we'll leave. I don't want to end up oversleeping. I really hate it when that happens!" whined Naruto uncharacteristically. Both the other Uchihas were mildly surprised on seeing the sudden change in his attitude. Nonetheless, they were glad to see that despite the situation at hand, Naruto still hadn't lost his innocence to some extent. Happiness and innocence are truly ephemeral essence in the life of a shinobi. Soon after bidding his two brother-like figures goodnight, Naruto proceeded to jump off the tree and make his way back towards Yugao and Mikasa.

"He surely has grown from that time, hasn't he?" questioned Shisui with a nostalgic tone. It was astonishing to see the shinobi, Naruto turned out to be. However, deep within him he had a feeling about a lingering darkness that resided within Naruto. He often noticed how Naruto questioned the methods of shinobi and the foundation on which this shinobi world was built upon. Shaking the cobwebs off his mind, he composed himself, realizing that he was overthinking.

"He indeed has. He surpassed us both a long time ago." Itachi answered with a hint of pride evident in his voice.

* * *

 _ **Iwagakure no Sato, Tsuchi no Kuni**_

Iwagakure no Sato or the Village Hidden in the Stones is one of the great five shinobi villages situated in Tsuchi no Kuni. As the village of one of the Great Five Shinobi villages, Iwagakure has a kage as its leader known as the Tsuchikage, of which there have been three since the village's foundation. Iwagakure was founded by the first Tsuchikage after the end of the Warring States Period. Shortly, after the formation of their village, Konoha's Shodaime Hokage sold the Yonbi _(Four Tails)_ and Gobi _(Five Tails)_ to Iwagakure as a sign of friendship and to ensure the balance of power amongst their new villages. Despite this bid for peace, Madara Uchiha made efforts, unbeknownst to the Hokage, to make Iwagakure subservient to Konoha, which eventually broke down any talks of peace between the two villages.

Even during times of temporary peace, Iwagakure and it's Tsuchikage worked behind the scenes against it's fellow villages. Such as by often using mercenaries to carry out missions, the village could not be directly involved in or that it lacked resources for. Like many other villages, Iwagakure eventually began sealing it's tailed beasts into jinchuriki. Since the Nidaime Tsuchikage's era, they actively took part in acquiring other tailed beasts.

The Sandaime Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ohnoki renowned as Ryotenbin no Ohnoki _(Ohnoki of Both Scales)_ , is the sole wielder of Kekkei Tota- Jinton, currently. He was the student of Nidaime Tsuchikage, Muu, who too was proficient in utilizing the Jinton ninjutsu. Ohnoki is a very short, old man with a triangular beard and a mustache that has angular corners, a big red nose and thick eyebrows. The top of his head completely bald, although, he has long white hair on the lower half of his head which is styled in traditional chonmage haircut, the back of which is tied with a yellow ribbon in a topknot. Ohnoki wears a green and yellow coat with a red color. Underneath he wears traditional Iwagakure outfit consistent of a light green version of Iwagakure's flak jacket and mesh armor. He, however, both sleeves of his shirt, but kept the single lapel on his right side. Along with this, he wears standard black shinobi sandals.

Currently Ohnoki was seated in a chair along with three more people in a small dimly lit room under the Tsuchikage residence. In room merely comprised of a roundtable with the symbol of Iwagakure carved in the middle of it and a large map of the Elemental Nations. Around the table were also four chairs along with lanterns placed on each corner of the room. The other two occupants of the room were the two most notorious criminals of Konohagakure no Sato. He mainly used this room when he had to deal with someone which primarily entailed his village's security. The silence that reigned in the room kept every occupant on edge. The powerful presence that three figures radiated could easily be felt by the Iwa Anbu who guarded room outside.

Frankly, Ohnoki cursed himself for having to align himself with these two. But, seeing how they had similar goals, it wouldn't hurt him have extra help. Especially if it meant he could destroy _that_ man's family. He despised that bastard more than anything. The day he had learned that the Yondaime Hokage was related to Madara Uchiha, he had never felt such a cold shrill run through his body. Anyone related to that man had to be a monster. To this day he hadn't forgotten the humiliating defeat he had faced at the hands of Madara Uchiha before the First Shinobi War and Minato Namikaze during the Third Shinobi War. However, he was baffled when he was told about the feats that the Yondaime's child was capable of. He certainly couldn't let him grow any stronger. As Tsuchikage, it was duty to protect the village and eliminate any threats, no matter the price.

"I hope you'll be able to mobilize your shinobi for the storm that will be coming soon, Tsuchikage-dono. It will be a pity, if you aren't able to get some results even with added help." Orochimaru stated calmly with his devious snake like smile, ever so present on his face.

Ohnoki grunted at the audacity of the Snake Sannin and replied, "Do not look down upon my shinobi, Orochimaru. Have you perfected the kinjutsu that you promised?"

"Perfecting a kinjutsu of that level, takes a copious amount of time…" Orochimaru started. Ohnoki narrowed his eyes dangerously at the Snake Sannin, clearly conveying the message to choose his next words wisely.

"…but, I have mastered the technique to some extent. By the time, we are ready to launch a full-scale attack on Konoha, I will have refined every aspect of the technique. You must hand it to the Nidaime Hokage for inventing such a jutsu." Orochimaru ended with a snide remark. The Sannin made a few hand seals and suddenly four coffins rose from the ground. Three of the coffins opened and the figures within them slowly came out and now everyone could sense the sudden change in pressure within the room.

"They're…" Ohnoki stuttered with widened eyes upon seeing the people in the coffins.

'So, he finally managed to learn that technique.' Danzo thought, shocked. But not a speck of emotion was visible on the man's face. Having spent the past so many years working in the darkness, he still believed his actions were for the greater good of Konoha. His philosophy entailed that for Konoha to one day rule over the Elemental Nations, it had to be destroyed first and then rebuilt into the ideal village. He detested the naïve decisions that Hiruzen and Minato have made over the years which resulted in Konoha becoming so lax. The fact that the Uchiha Clan had planned a coup de 'tat without letting Minato get a hint of their treachery was a prime example. Konoha was indeed extremely fortunate to have avoided that civil war.

"Nidaime Tsuchikage, Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage." Kitsuchi said, bolting up from his seat with a dumbfounded expression. Unconsciously, he took a step back in fear as he laid his eyes upon the legendary shinobi. All three of these shinobi were considered among the best warriors during their time.

"I believe, we have kept our end of the deal…" Orochimaru stated as a matter of fact. He had devoted several years in mastering the kinjutsu and finally he was getting some results.

"And you're certain that you can control all of them?" Kitsuchi asked unsurely. The shinobi in front of him were monsters and to be able to control them was certainly not a joke.

"You hurt me with your doubts, Kitsuchi-san. Obviously, I can control them. Over the years, I have devoted majority of my time in learning every little aspect of this jutsu. Currently, they can probably use three-fourth of their full power but I'm certain by the time we attack Konoha, I will be able to control them at their full power." Said Orochimaru with a chuckle. Oh, how he would love to see Konoha shinobi crumble on seeing one of their greatest legends, fighting against them. Kitsuchi nodded, seeing as there was nothing he could do now except take the Snake Sannin for his word.

"Who's in the fourth coffin?" Ohnoki asked, firmly.

"We can't reveal everything to you now, Tsuchikage-dono. When the time is right, you'll find out yourself. And do not bother making any threats. With the cards that we have in our hand right now, it won't be good for either you or this village." Danzo stated seriously, intervening in between. Ohnoki glanced towards Danzo with a dangerous look on his face. He never liked being kept in the dark or threatened for that matter. But, seeing the bigger picture here, he calmed himself a bit.

"Watch what you speak, Danzo. This isn't Konoha that will let your transgressions go unpunished." Warned Ohnoki. Seeing that the situation was beginning to get a little out of hands, Kitsuchi cleared his throat to garner everyone's attention and pointed towards the map on the table.

"With Kusagakure already under our grasps, the Root shinobi and the Edo Tensei can easily move into Takigakure from the south west, while the Konoha and Takigakure shinobi will be encountering the Iwa shinobis, in the north east region of Takigakure no Sato. Again, this will be all for nothing if Takigakure does not seek Konoha for assistance." Kitsuchi explained briefly.

"They'll definitely ask for help. With the fear of losing their land as well as jinchuriki, they wouldn't hesitate to ask for help. In any case that they don't, my men will make sure that word of Takigakure under attack reaches to Konoha." Danzo said confidently.

"Very well then. We'll keep our end of the deal by keeping Naruto Namikaze busy, while you get hold of Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha." Ohnoki concluded.

* * *

 _ **Next Morning, Konohagakure No Sato**_

It was early in the morning and the sun had just risen, bathing the village in it's warm light. While majority of the village slept peacefully, not knowing of the looming danger advancing towards their home, Minato stood near the window, looking over at the village with a relatively haunted look on his face. The reason for that was the information he had received from Jiraiya about Iwagakure's gradual advances towards the Fire Nation.

"No matter the era, there is always war. This constant fighting between nations has only increased since the dawn of shinobi." Minato said tiredly. War was a certain possibility now, given the current predicament they were in. Based on the information he received from Jiraiya, Ohnoki's forces will most likely enter the Fire Nation through the borders of Kusagakure, Takigakure and Kiba no Kuni if they keep progressing the way they have. Iwagakure had already managed to take over Kusagakure and would soon move onto Takigakure and Kiba no Kuni. Given the past, he had an intuition that Orochimaru and Danzo may yet again align themselves with Ohnoki and assist Iwagakure by handing them the locations of various Konoha shinobi outposts on the border of Hi no Kuni. However, Minato was relieved slightly after he had discussed the urgent matter with Shikaku. Despite certain setbacks a few months ago, based on the shinobi they had at hand, it was feasible for Konoha to come out the victor if Iwagakure do attack. But, Minato had a strong feeling that the coming storm will be much more catastrophic that imagined.

"This is reality, Minato. No matter how hard you try to establish peace, there will always be people who'll try to wage wars. And with us shinobi, all we have known is war. You shouldn't burden yourself with everything. The village has been relatively peaceful the past few years under your leadership. You can't control everything that goes around in the Elemental Nations." Shikaku stated practically, on hearing his friend's words.

"That maybe… But, if we do end up fighting with Iwagakure, it will not be like the coup de 'tat which was narrowly prevented. Lots of shinobi will surely perish. And I'm not ready to send the academy students to war yet." Minato said with a pained expression. But the sad truth was if the situation demanded, he would have to do otherwise. The tension and the sadness were almost palpable in the air and Shikaku understood the burden of responsibilities that was on the Hokage's shoulder. They both grew up together and he knew Minato had very pacifistic notions about the shinobi world, contrary to popular beliefs.

"We'll get through this. Konoha always prevails, no matter who we are up against." Shikaku replied placing a comforting hand on Minato's shoulder. It wasn't any easier for him, but he had to be strong for the sake of his friend as well as Konoha.

"I'm sure. What matters most is the village and its people." Replied the Hokage. It was times like these, that Minato was often reminded of his father's words, _"This shinobi system created by Hashirama will someday spiral down deep into darkness, such that not even a speck of light will reach it."_ At that point, he never really understood the meaning behind his words but looking back at them now, Minato understood what he meant. So long as there are shinobi, there will be wars. It was a bitter truth indeed.

The two were brought out of their thoughts on hearing a knock on the door.

"Come in." Minato said, having already sensed the chakra of those outside. As the door opened, Kakashi, Tsunade, Hayate, Genma, Asuma and Kurenai walked in. Seeing the look on everyone's faces, he understood all of them were confused as to why they were called so early in the morning. Tsunade being the impulsive woman she was, stepped ahead of the others and slammed her hand on the desk, rather authoritatively.

"What's the meaning of calling us so early, Minato?" Tsunade demanded furiously. She really hated getting up so early in the morning. While Kakashi's eyes were still glued to the orange book he read, the other jounins in the room openly gawked at the Sannin's renowned temper.

"Tsunade-sama, if you may allow the Hokage to explain." Shikaku stated with a rather hardened tone. The Slug Sannin gave Shikaku an extremely annoyed look but seeing the seriousness on Minato and Shikaku's faces, Tsunade realized it must be a matter of grave importance. The jounins were mildly surprised on hearing the tone but kept quiet. Shikaku had higher authority than anyone of them and it would be unhealthy for them to interrupt Tsunade of all people. None of them ever wished to behind one of her bone shattering punches. Minato moved behind his desk, seeing that now everyone was looking at him intently.

"About four hours ago, I received word from Jiraiya-sensei through one of his summons that the Tsuchikage is planning to gather large number of his shinobis in Kusagakure, Takigakure and Kiba no Kuni. They have already seized control over Kusagakure by overthrowing the village leader and taking control over their military. Shortly, they will be doing the same with the other two places. Ohnoki has deployed a platoon, consisting of about a hundred shinobi to Kusagakure to keep the resistance to a minimum. Although it's still not certain as to when they are planning to attack Takigakure and Kiba no Kuni. Based on their actions so far, it's definitive that the Tsuchikage plans to invade Hi no Kuni through the north east and eventually attack Konoha. Again, we are not sure as to when the attack might take place. As of now, Iwagakure hasn't done anything against Konoha to warrant our immediate attention. Nonetheless, we need to be prepared for war, if the situation comes down to it." Minato revealed, surprising Tsunade and the others who came with her.

"That damn, Ohnoki. He's always been a stubborn fool." Snarled Tsunade angrily. Kakashi's lone visible eye widened momentarily, as he closed his book. Kurenai, Asuma and Genma remained quiet, as all three of them were at a loss of words. Whereas, Hayate was slightly fearful on the prospect of fighting in yet another war. He had lost his family and countless friends in the previous shinobi war and the scars of those wounds ran deep within his heart, even to this day.

"Sensei, what about the Anbu team that you sent to the Land of Iron. They must have travelled through Ame no Kuni ( _Land of Rain)_ , Tori no Kuni ( _Land of Birds)_ , Kuma no Kuni ( _Land of Bears)_ and Yama no Kuni ( _Land of Mountains)_ , all of which share borders with Tsuchi no Kuni. Have you received any news from them about this?" Kakashi asked in all seriousness, putting his book down. Based on what he heard, there was a good possibility about team Ro-Han encountering Iwagakure shinobi. And there were numerous possibilities of the mission going wrong due to the current situation.

"As of yet, I haven't received any word from them. They had parted with Jiraiya-sensei about three days ago. But, I believe, they will be here by today." Minato replied, understanding the underlying memorandum. Tsunade briefly glanced towards Minato. If Jiraiya was accompanying an Anbu team, then Naruto had to be there for sure. It had been quite some time, since she had seen the little boy. She hoped that he was okay.

'And judging by the look on Kakashi's face, he probably knew about it too… Of course, he would.' Tsunade thought mutely.

"So, what do you need of us, Hokage-sama?" Asuma asked straightforward. All of them were asked to come to the Hokage office today morning, the previous day. So, it couldn't have been for this reason solely.

"Right. Shikaku and I went through the academy students' files and have grouped them into teams based on their current strengths, compatibility and history. Even though they have about four more years to graduate from the academy, it's better if the students are grouped into teams early on. This would give them the opportunity to work on their teamwork while also further increasing their skills as a ninja." Minato explained, getting straight to the point. Picking up five files from the desk, he handed them out to the five jounins.

"Have you already decided which team will be given to us?" Kurenai questioned. She had been training Lord Hiashi's younger daughter, Hanabi, for the past couple of months and had seen how incredible Hinata was for someone her age. Also, being a Hyuga, she would make an excellent tracker in the future.

"No, not yet. That will be decided based on their performance in the graduation exam." Shikaku replied. Minato nodded, agreeing with his advisor and Jounin Commander. Before anyone else could voice their thoughts, a weasel masked Anbu suddenly appeared between them. Looking around himself, Itachi noticed the presence of several jounins along with Tsunade and Shikaku. Deciding to stay quiet until the others left, he walked to the side of the room and waited. Kakashi glanced towards the Team Ro Han's captain and wondered if all the other members were alright. He would have to visit the Anbu headquarters and the Namikaze compound after this.

"That will be all for now. Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, Genma and Hayate, you all may be leave for now. All the jounins and tokubetsu jounins will be shortly notified about the jounin meeting in a few days." Minato briefed. Soon enough, the jounins left the room leaving only Minato, Shikaku, Tsunade and Itachi in the Hokage's office.

"Did the mission go as planned?" Minato asked curtly.

"No, Hokage-sama. I assume, you have received some sort of news from Jiraiya-sama about Iwagakure?" Itachi asked. Knowing that the Toad Sannin had parted with them to gather intel on Iwagakure, he had guessed the Hokage would have some sort of news by now.

"I did. But, before that report what happened during the mission." Minato replied.

"The mission proceeded smoothly up until we collected the scrolls from Land of Iron. But, while we were returning to Konoha, we were ambushed by the Explosion Corps of Iwagakure in the Land of Birds…" Itachi started. The other three occupants of the room listened intently as the Ro-Han's taicho gave a detailed report of his team's battle with the Explosion Corps.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes- I know it's been long since I updated this story, but now the updates will be more frequent from now on. As you can see, the fight team Ro Han had with the Explosion Corps was merely a ruse set up by Akatsuki to get to Gari and Ohnoki had no clue about that. Nonetheless, the Tsuchikage is already planning to attack Konoha along with Orochimaru and Danzo. The attack on the village itself will no take place any time soon, but later, at a more appropriate time when the border patrol will be a little more lax. The battle which will inevitably take place in Takigakure will be a crucial point for Naruto in his life and one which will either change Naruto for the good or bad. Right now, his mind is riddled with question to which he has no answers. As his career in Anbu progress, there will be a part of him that too will delve deep into the darkness.**_

 _ **I still haven't decided if I should portray the civil war in the story and frankly I'm a little confused about that, but I will see if i should include that depending on the results of the battle at Takigakure. The next couple of chapters will focus a little more on the academy students and Naruto along with him trying to uncover the mysteries of his rinnegan and mangekyo sharingan. Once the battle at Takigakure comes to an end, I will be focusing more on Naruto and his friends at the academy as well as the relationship between Naruto and Hinata.**_

 _ **If you do come to like how the story is progressing or have anything you might like to add, do drop me a message. And please follow, favorite and review the story! It will help me immensely.**_

 **Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Kuro Shi**

* * *

Once Itachi finished accounting the details of his team's mission, he stood quietly in his place, awaiting further orders from the Hokage.

"And you're certain you were told that it was the Tsuchikage who had authorized an attack on your unit?" Minato asked impassively, to get the facts straight. Based on the details provided by Itachi, it certainly added further backbone to the information he received from his sensei. His face portrayed the disbelief as even he hadn't expected Ohnoki to make a move against Konoha so soon. Similar thoughts were racing through the minds of Shikaku as well as Tsunade.

"Minato, we have to start building medical outpost or assign a medical ninja at all of our Patrol outposts near the borders of Hi no Kuni. Considering the stunt which Ohnoki pulled, I wouldn't be surprised if he has more of his shinobi scouting our borders which we don't already know of. And if fighting does ensue on the borders, a medical ninja or a team will be helpful in saving the lives." Tsunade advised wisely. The dreadful memories from the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars were still fresh in her mind. Had Konoha accepted her suggestion to form a medical unit in those times, maybe… maybe her brother, Nawaki and lover, Dan could still be alive. Tsunade sighed as she realized that there's point in bringing those memories up at this point. Minato glanced towards the Slug Sannin and nodded his head approvingly. He understood what the woman meant and felt. He had heard from his sensei about the loss Tsunade had gone through.

"You don't need to worry Tsunade-sama. I will let you choose which personnel would be best suited to send to the borders. Although, sending a team to each outpost would be difficult right now. I believe, one medical ninja per outpost seems more plausible currently. We can't send inexperienced shinobi to the frontlines so soon." Minato replied, easing Tsunade's worries. A few minutes later, both Itachi and Tsunade left the Hokage's office to get back to their work. Minato glanced towards Shikaku who had been awfully quiet since the arrival of Itachi.

"What's your opinion, Shikaku?" Minato asked curiously.

"I assume, you came to the same conclusion?" asked the Nara Clan head calmly. Making a single hand seal, Minato activated the privacy seals in the room.

"Hai. Even though I'm certain that Itachi isn't telling us false news, it's a bit hard to believe that Ohnoki took such a direct approach, all by himself. If he is already amassing his shinobi near the borders of Takigakure, Kiba no Kuni and Kusagakure, it doesn't do him any good to attack a single Konoha Anbu team in the Land of Birds. Moreover, Anbu missions are strictly confidential and if Ohnoki had knowledge of such information, there is only one thing I can assume. We have a…" Minato voiced his thoughts.

"We have a traitor or a spy among our ranks." Shikaku concluded. Minato gave a slight nod as he too had the same thought in his mind.

"I have a feeling that Danzo is colluding with the Tsuchikage to bring down Konoha. It's not beneath him to do so. When Sarutobi-sama disbanded the Root, he also made Danzo hand over the root shinobi under his command. At least, that's what Danzo made him believe. Those shinobi were then reinstated into the regular Anbu forces. And there's no telling how many of them are still secretly working for Danzo." Minato stated as he walked behind his chair and towards the window. As he looked over the village, he had a bad feeling building up within himself. He knew there was a storm coming and Konoha could very fall, if they are not well prepared. Despite having several powerful shinobi in their village, if caught off guard, there's no telling what could happen.

"Then the possibility of Danzo working with Orochimaru is also very plausible. Considering how both Orochimaru and Danzo fled the village on accounts of treason, its not very fetched." Shikaku stated.

"I was thinking along the same lines. But, there are too many factors in play right now. Danzo was an elder in the village and a veteran shinobi who had access to several highly classified information. He knows the village in and out. Whereas Orochimaru, despite the type of shinobi he's become, is very resourceful and tactful. If there is a scenario where the two are working together, we need to start looking for Orochimaru soon. I'm certain we'll find some sort of connection between the two." Minato explained. Shikaku nodded after listening to the Hokage's sound judgement.

"How do you wish to proceed?" Shikaku questioned with seriousness etched on his scarred face. Those who didn't know the man personally may see it as rather odd for Shikaku have such urgency in his behavior. There may not be an imminent threat to Konoha as such but given the time the possibility for a war between the Earth and Fire Nation seemed more plausible if the events unfolded the way they have been. And both Minato and Shikaku understood that clearly.

"Shikaku, I want you, Yamato and Ibiki to personally lead the investigation to search for the spy or traitor within the Anbu division. Word of this matter must not reach to anyone else. While I won't be taking any militaristic measures against Ohnoki right now, we can't let his actions go unpunished. In the upcoming Jounin meeting, I will make it clear to our shinobi to kill any Iwagakure shinobi on sight, if they are found trespassing on Hi no Kuni's land. I will also ask Jiraiya-sensei to gather more intel regarding Iwagakure's movements around Takigakure, Kusagakure and Kiba no Kuni. Other than that, we'll just have to wait and see what actions are taken by them. While they are busy with that, I will try looking into Orochimaru myself." Minato replied gravely. As he noticed the sun illuminating the village in it's warm glow, he wished if Konoha could remain this picturesque forever. Sadly, it was just a fleeting thought.

"You should rest, Minato. I heard from Mikoto that you haven't been at home lately. You will tire yourself out if you keep working continuously." Shikaku said out concern, as he gave his friend a small smile. Looking back at his friend, Minato's shoulders slumped a little as he realized he hadn't stepped in his house for the past four days.

"I look that bad huh?" sighed Minato tiredly. It was a tiring job indeed. The mountains of paperwork, the meetings with officials, the important decisions he generally must make… being a Hokage seemed much simpler to him before he took the position.

"You can leave some of the work to me at times. I'm your advisor… it's my job to help you after all. And it would be rather troublesome, if our Hokage dies because of stress." Shikaku remarked with his ever-present bored expression. Minato chuckled on hearing that and felt a tad bit lighter.

"I will take that under consideration…" Minato joked as he proceeded to sit in his chair. Despite the current predicament they were in, he couldn't wait to go home and speak to Naruto about his experience on his first mission. He was a father after all and any it was natural for him to be worried about his son. Soon enough Shikaku bid his farewell and left to talk with Ibiki and Yamato regarding the sensitive matter at hand.

* * *

 _ **Namikaze Compound**_

It was still early morning, so when Naruto entered the house, he made it a point to be quiet when walking upstairs to his room. Having slept last night for a while, he didn't consider sleeping among his priorities right now. He had already placed all his Anbu gear back at the headquarters and was now clothed in a grey t-shirt, black Anbu pants along with a black kimono on top of it. As he walked to his room, he passed by Mikoto's bedroom and noticed it was slightly cracked open. Glancing through the door for a brief second, a small smile formed on his face as he saw her sleeping form. It made him truly glad to see that his aunt was contently asleep. She was the closest figure he had to a mother. The members of the Anbu, regardless of the village, are expected to always work in the shadows and thus mistakes on the field are never tolerated. Due to such reasons, every prospective member is made to go through an intensive training program to make them familiarize with the strict methods followed. And, since he had to go through all the protocols in a short period of time, he rarely got any time to come home.

Deciding to leave her be, he quietly proceeded to his own room. Soon as he entered, Naruto fell on his bed, enjoying the warmth and softness it provided. It was certainly much better than the rock-hard mattresses that he was given to sleep on, in the Anbu headquarters. Putting his arms below his head, he rested comfortably as his mind wandered off to the events that he witnessed during his mission. It had pained his heart to see the dead corpses of hundreds of shinobi in Amegakure. Despite his young age, he understood what death and love meant. At times, he cursed his own ability to feel other people's emotions to some extent. Having to know and understand such intricate things often tired his young mind. Even with all the power he possessed, Naruto understood that he alone couldn't solve everything. His level of power wasn't enough. He needed to become stronger. From his past experiences, however brief they were, he learned that the shinobi world respected and feared power. If he could augment his power more, the blond had little doubt that there wasn't anything he couldn't do. Moreover, the large chakra signatures he had felt while crossing the Land of Rain were certainly disturbing. Some of the chakra he had sensed from there were downright repulsive. Sitting upright, he sighed as his mind went into overdrive. Shaking such thoughts off his mind, he decided to go train for a while. It wouldn't do him any good to sit around ideally and dwell on such matters.

A few moments later, Naruto now sat cross legged in a meditative pose in the training ground behind the main house of the Namikaze compound. As the seconds gradually ticked, he began hovering over the ground by manipulating the gravity around himself. In the past few months, he barely had any luck in discovering much about the rinnegan. The only abilities he seemed to know of yet was the gravity manipulation, chakra absorption technique and the ability to summon various animals. There was so much about his two doujutsu that he still didn't understand. Even after reading the contents of the stone tablet in the Naka shrine, he hadn't gotten any far. Once he reached a height of fifteen meters above the ground, he stopped as a thin layer of chakra covered his body. Subsequently, he began extending his sensory abilities in all directions to try and further his range, since his senses only extended up to a radius of thirty-five miles. His troubled mind calmed down relatively as he began feeling the life force around himself. It was truly beautiful. He remained like that for the next twenty minutes or so when he abruptly fell on the ground.

"Ow… ow…" cursed Naruto as he nursed his head. Standing up and dusting the little dirt that was on his shirt, he stretched his arms to relieve himself of the slight soreness he felt in his arm.

'Seems like, I still can't maintain it for too long.' Thought the blond dejectedly. However, a few seconds later, his eyes widened ever so slightly when an arbitrary thought crossed his mind. He had never tried to manipulate more than one element at a single time. He wondered if he could try adding the gravity manipulation to any of his jutsus or rather on himself. Upon closing his eyes, he manipulated the gravity around himself to make himself lighter. He smirked as he could barely feel any weight on himself. Even the gravity seals that Jiraiya had placed on him years earlier did not seem to affect him at all. Arching forward slightly, he pushed off from the spot in a blur, creating several cracks on the ground. Although his smirk soon faded when he found himself crash into the wall that stood right in front of him.

'Well, did not expect that to happen…' mused the blond, rather annoyingly as he once again picked himself from the ground.

" **Well, what do you expect? You only awakened the rinnegan a few months ago. It's a power unlike anything else. It would certainly take you a good while to a hang of it's abilities.** " Kurama snickered. It was amusing for the fox to see Naruto struggle with something finally. For an entity who had lived for over two millennia, even he had never come across someone who was so tuned with chakra. He was certain given some time, his host would far surpass the legends such as Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha and perhaps the Rikudo Sennin too. But, at the same time, it alarmed Kurama at how fast Naruto's power increasing. Naruto's own chakra levels would soon surpass his own.

'Yeah… yeah. Laugh it up while you can.' Naruto huffed. Yet, he felt a little giddy at the prospect of doing something new. He then began wondering if he could try manipulating two or more elements together, to create sub-elements. He had read about several jutsus that combined two or more elements together. The most prominent being the Mokuton in the Land of Fire, which combined Suiton and Doton natured chakra. Though, it might be near impossible for him replicate kekkei genkai jutsus, he mused it was worth a try. Even the thought of using senjutsu chakra in conjugation with his normal jutsus or using senjutsu chakra solely with yin and yang manipulation crossed his mind. But he was also aware that to accomplish such feats he would need years more of practice despite having stupendous chakra control. A smirk framed his face as he realized he knew just the way through which he could get decades worth of training done in relatively five or six years. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard someone's footsteps approaching him. Turning around, he was mildly surprised to see Sasuke standing behind him in his training gear, which consisted of dark blue pants, black shinobi sandals and a dark gray colored t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on the back.

"Oh, it's you…" Naruto commented with a rather bored expression.

"So, when did you get back? And what was that thing you were trying to do?" Sasuke asked as calmly as he could. But, seeing the blond hover in midair and the speed with which he saw Naruto move had piqued his interest highly. He wondered if it had anything to do with that right eye of his. When he asked the Hokage about Naruto's newly awakened power, he was just told that it's a unique doujutsu which can only be awakened by those who are a direct descendent of the fabled Rikudo Sennin. The fact had left Sasuke dumbfounded but he found himself to accept the fact that his fellow clansman was special.

"Huh? I'm surprised as to how much you have changed, Sasuke." Naruto replied with a smile. He could read the Uchiha in front of him like an open book and it warmed him that Sasuke had taken his advice.

"Well, I have been training myself to the ground everyday while you were gone. I have become much stronger." Sasuke stated with air of superiority. Naruto chuckled on seeing that some habits of his hadn't changed at all. He thought about asking him regarding Hinata and the others but stopped himself. He didn't even know if she still thought about him and honestly that thought scared him. But, he reassured himself that staying away from them was the best choice for now.

"So, do you want to train together? I don't have any missions for a few days and we both could improve greatly…" Naruto asked his fellow Uchiha. He hadn't trained with him all that much, but he could feel how much Sasuke had grown since their last spar in the academy. Sasuke simply smirked and settled into his taijutsu stance.

* * *

 _ **Two years later**_

An uneasy silence had reigned over the Elemental Nations in the past two years. The only noticeable event that transpired within that period was the start of a civil war in Mizu no Kuni that was initiated by Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage. Apparently, the peace loving Mizukage suddenly began butchering people who possessed a Kekkei Genkai. The news that travelled around the Elemental Nations was that Yagura began viewing people with Kekkei Genkai as impure and thus began cleansing Mizu no Kuni of their dirt. Fighting against the Mizukage and his loyalists were a large group of resistance which was led by Mei Terumi, an elite jounin of Kirigakure.

Kumogakure despite having little to no interaction with any of the other four major villages only looked to increase their military power while Iwagakure who once looked to amass several of their shinobi in Kusagakure and near the borders of Takigakure had greatly dwindled their forces in those areas. While Kusagakure was now officially a part of Tsuchi no Kuni, there were only a handful of Iwa shinobi in that village now. Sunagakure, who were financially troubled in the past due to having less missions had a new treaty agreement with Konohagakure. According to the agreement between the two nations, ten percent of the A-Rank or higher-class missions given to Konoha would be handed to Sunagakure in exchange for setting up new trade routes within the Wind Nation and five percent of the profit Kaze no Kuni earned through the sale of Gold Dust produced by the Yondaime Kazekage.

Currently, in the Konoha Academy, Kakashi and Kurenai stood at distance under the shade of a tree as they oversaw several students practicing their elemental manipulation. Over the past two years, all the students were made to go through the most basic exercises in elemental manipulation. Based on their chakra nature, the student would either try to burn, damp, crumble, wrinkle or cut the leaf in half. While most of the students had understood the concept behind the exercise and even learnt to execute it perfectly, there were still some students who lacked adequate chakra control to complete the exercise properly. While it wasn't necessary for a shinobi to use elemental ninjutsu, it was viewed customary for one to at least have the basic manipulation of their chakra natures mastered.

"How did your mission go last week, Kurenai?" Kakashi asked casually while his eyes remained glued to the small book on his hand. Ever since Iwagakure's attack on team Ro Han, Konoha had increased Hi no Kuni's border security by having a team of five jounin weekly scout the surrounding border near Kusagakure, Takigakure and the Kiba no Kuni for any threats.

"It was the same as last month's. No Iwagakure shinobi were spotted. Just a few shinobi from Takigakure, Sunagakure and several other minor villages who were crossing over for business. If everything goes on smoothly for the next three or four months, I believe the stress will be slightly relieved. It has been over a year and a half since Iwa shinobi made any irregular movements." Kurenai replied with sigh. It had been really tiring for her to go on missions so frequently. Along with her added task of teaching the students in the academy and even some children from major clans, she rarely got any time for herself or with Asuma. It had only been a few months she since she started dating her jounin, but she was extremely content with him.

"I know what you mean… it was surprising to know that Iwagakure did not make any further move against us. I was sure that we would lunge into another war. However, I don't think the Tsuchikage simply backed off without a reason…" Kakashi stated speculatively. But he didn't think much on the topic as his eyes fell on Sasuke who was talking to Hinata. He was visibly pleased with the improvements that all the students had shown the last few years, but he doubted if most of them could handle the extremities of a war between two nations. Despite having more skill than regular academy students, none of them had come across the horrors of a fight apart from Hinata and Sakura. Kurenai who had become silent for a while followed the masked ninja's gaze towards Sasuke and Hinata.

"Hmm… I wonder what those two might be talking about. Sasuke rarely ever talks to anyone other than Hinata or Sakura." Kurenai said with mild curiosity. Although, she might appear to have a cold attitude towards many, she did enjoy the occasional banter and gossip with her friends.

"I doubt its anything what you're thinking." Kakashi replied with a raised eyebrow. He was amused by the fact that Kurenai might think along those lines. But he was aware how close the Hyuga girl was to Naruto. He had only spoken to the budding kunoichi a couple of times and he had to admit Hinata would look a complete stunner in a few years.

'Jiraiya-sama would never leave those two alone if anything like that happens…' thought Kakashi with a perverted giggle. Suddenly he found himself ducking, as his eyes travelled to Kurenai and from the looks of her he wondered if she somehow read his mind.

"You damn pervert… And you accuse me of saying such things. One day I would love to burn that Icha-Icha books of yours. I don't understand why men reach such smut." Kurenai seethed with narrowed eyes.

"Hey… hey… Calm down would you… look everyone is looking at you." Kakashi commented with an amused chuckle. Upon quickly noticing that several students were now staring at her, she had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. She sent a glare towards her fellow jounin for putting her in such a position. Meanwhile, Kakashi still hadn't moved his lone eye from his book. Kurenai just huffed slightly turned to look the other way, pretending to ignore everything that had happened just now.

"Man, this is such a drag. I'd rather be laying down somewhere under the sun." Shikamaru expressed his thoughts with a lazy yawn. He was holding two leaves in each of his hand which showed signs of burn. Slumping down on the ground he once again yawned lazily and kept his arms on the ground behind himself for support. Following his lead, several of students rested on the ground after keeping at the elemental manipulation for almost two hours now.

"I just don't get it why the Hokage had to increase the graduation age just to give us more training. It just seems like a bother. I'd rather be training in my clan's jutsu…" Kiba yelled scratching his hair. Choji seemed to agree with the ninken user as he gave a slight nod. Despite having learnt the basic manipulation for his chakra nature, everyone was made to the same exercises repeatedly. And the fact that he hadn't eaten anything in over two hours was beginning to make him feel extremely hungry. He never really could think straight on an empty stomach.

"There could be a number of reasons for such measures. The one which makes the most sense to me is that Hokage-sama wants the new generation of shinobi to be prepared for something in the future." Shino added tactfully. Like many others he too had wondered about the Hokage's decision and upon inquiring with his father who was rather close to the Yondaime, that was the only conclusion he could come upon. Also, it would make sense that they did not have the clear picture because, a most of the vital information is only given to chunin or higher-class shinobi.

Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura who were sitting a little farther away from Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino had overheard their conversation. While Sasuke knew to some extent regarding the reason behind their extraneous training, he knew it wasn't his place to reveal anything. He suspected Hinata might know a little, but he wasn't too sure about Sakura. While the girl was smart and somewhat better than most kunoichi, she did not seem mentally strong. At least that's what he thought. But tried never to judge the girl just on her appearances.

"Idiots… They are just wasting their time talking about that. We will not be told of anything until we become genin anyway." Sasuke stated calmly.

"Well, not everyone is as smart as you Sasuke-kun!" retorted the pink haired girl. She giggled lightly on seeing Sasuke grunt but did not push him any further. Hinata sighed seeing the mood between her two friends. She was content with how things were progressing in her life. But still she could never feel complete. She knew the reason of course, but always suppressed any thoughts or feelings about _him_. She had come to terms with the fact that whatever relation she had with him in the past would never be the same if she did ever see him again. She just didn't know how soon it would be that she'd see her.

"Hey, who do you think our sensei will be? We have already been assigned our teams and only two years are left for us to graduate." Chirped Sakura. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the girl excited behavior.

"Well, it wouldn't really matter. I have heard Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai are all considered powerful shinobi. So long as we get strong, that's all that matters." Sasuke replied. After his frequent training sessions with Naruto, he could feel that he had grown immensely whether be it his physical strength or his chakra. He had even learned a few Katon jutsus from Itachi and some Raiton ones from Naruto. But the most prominent improvement was his sharingan. He could now use it for long periods of time without tiring himself and the drain on his chakra felt negligible. Moreover, he wanted to get strong enough to kill Danzo. The hatred he felt inside himself for that man had only increased since that night.

"You're no fun, Sasuke-kun. You don't have to seem angry all the time…" Sakura joked. Sasuke merely avoided the statement and got up to get back to training. After about four hours, when the academy had ended for the day, Mizuki walked into the classroom Iruka was sitting in and handed him a file.

"Hokage-sama has sent this file that contains the information about the location of the next training exercises the students will be taken to." He said lazily. Iruka eagerly took the file and quickly scanned through the contents.

"Thanks, Mizuki. I was waiting for this." Replied Iruka kindly.

* * *

 _ **One week Later**_

A shinobi dressed in black full sleeved jumper and black gloves with grey flack jacket over it jumped from the branch of one tree to another without giving himself a break. His blond hair flapped slightly every time he jumped. Currently, the washi masked Anbu was on his way to check out a small town bordering near the Land of Hot Springs. There were reports which stated the appearance of several hostile Kirigakure shinobi who supported the Yondaime Mizukage. Apparently, the Kiri shinobi had been terrorizing the people of the town by stealing their resources, money and even blowing up parts of the town if the people refused. Since the town had little to no ninja populace, they had hastily sent out a request to Konoha for aid. His orders were to eliminate all the people responsible for creating this mess and bring their heads back to Konoha as proof of success. Even with the mask on, one could say that the blond had a serious look on his face.

As he quickly began covering more ground, his mind drifted back to the past two years. He was saddened when he heard that Shisui retired from the Anbu and now held the rank of an elite jounin within the village. Konoha had also stabilized itself from the attempted coup de tat over two years ago and had a fair amount of well trained shinobi on the field. It certainly wouldn't bode well for the village or Hi no Kuni if Konoha began declining missions. From what he had heard from Shisui, he was mainly helping out Mikoto in political affairs and with the duties of Uchiha Clan head. There were honestly way too much paperwork. Even apart from that, Shisui and Itachi rarely stayed in the village due to the number of high ranking missions they were assigned.

Despite team Ro losing a valuable member, they had completed all their assigned mission with a hundred percent success. However, there were instances where individual members of the team were sent to get the job done discreetly. In the past two years, Naruto had grown tremendously, both in terms of power and height. Due to the intense training that Naruto always immersed himself in, his body had grown to a good height of five feet and even developed lean muscles. He was glad that he wasn't the shortest member in his team anymore. He was frankly tired of all the midget jokes that many in the Anbu cracked. Despite all the banter, everyone in the Anbu had come to respect him for his own power rather than just viewing him as the Hokage's son. He didn't really mind it all that much, but there were times when he found himself irked at that. But, it wasn't something that he couldn't handle.

After a few more hours of travelling, he came upon a hill from where he could overlook the small town. From what he had roughly heard, the town comprised of several multi floored building for businesses, residential houses and a few parks for children here and there. But looking at it now, he was surprised to see that at least half the town seemed destroyed with rubble from the broken-down buildings scattered all around. He assumed that those were from explosion tags since ninja wouldn't need to use excessive force against civilians. Crouching down, he touched the ground with one of his fingers and then stood up.

"Should be easy enough. These Kiri shinobi seem to be few in numbers." Naruto said to himself as he thought of a quick plan to kill all of them. He then proceeded to jump from atop the hill and made it straight towards the location of the Yagura Loyalists. He quickly ran towards the town and jumped over the wall surrounding it discreetly. Taking to the rooftops for added cover, he made his way towards the tallest building in the middle of the town. As his eyes now laid on the building, he found himself appreciating the beauty of the building. The building was four stories tall and demonstrated a shoin style which stated it belonged to an aristocrat. He also had to admit he was relatively impressed with how the Kiri shinobi were handling the people in this town. It was a little after two in the noon and the people in the street went about their daily business as it were a normal day. He then realized that the shinobi must have casted a genjutsu over the population to make them look the other way. Considering that only about a couple hundred lived in this town, it was certainly possible. A few seconds later he was now standing on the rooftop of building where his targets were.

'So, all it took was six shinobi to capture a small town of civilians.' Naruto thought with a sigh. He had lost count of how many such missions he had already come to. Over the past two years, he had protected and assassinated numerous ministers, shinobi, business man all for the sake of Konoha. There were times when he wondered if what he was doing was right or not. People have different idea behind the term peace or freedom. While to some it may seem that he's protecting his home, to the others he was just a butcher. These Kiri shinobi might not be here in this town right now, if there wasn't a civil war going in Mizu no Kuni. There wouldn't be animosity between Iwagakure or Konohagakure or between any other for that if not for the past three shinobi wars. Eventually, even the notion whether shinobi should exist or not crossed his mind. But he never thought about the matter deeper. He was born a shinobi and he doubted if he could give up what he is. Despite all the countless conundrums that always plagued his mind, he knew he would do anything to see his precious home safe.

Deciding to take the direct route, Naruto landed a strong punch on the floor, causing it break and fall on to the floor. He could hear the shinobi inside regaining their senses upon the untimely collapse of the roof and get into position to apprehend the perpetrator. As the dust from the rubble settled down, Naruto jumped into the middle of the group who were too shocked to see a young boy.

"What the hell is this? A kid?" yelled a tall brown-haired man. He wore dark blue pants, white shirt and a light gray jacket on top. But probably the most prominent feature about the man were the large talisman that hung from his ears. He had his katana gripped in his hand tightly, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Konoha must have grown weak if they have young kids in the Anbu now." stated another man tauntingly with an average build. He had light blue hair and a large scar under his left eye which reached till his chin. Seeing as how everyone had taken a step back, Naruto assumed this man was the apparent leader of this group.

"I really don't have time for people like you…" Naruto said under his breath with a sigh. Soon as the man took another step forward, Naruto lunged towards the blue haired man in the blink of an eye and severed his head and his body fell onto the ground limply. Another shinobi wearing a mask over his face ran through hand seals quickly, the moment he saw the blond-haired kid go towards his friend.

" **Suiton: Suihou no Jutsu** " said the man as he spit a powerful beam of boiling water towards the enemy. The other members of the group quickly got behind their masked comrade as the jutsu collided with the Anbu. The masked shinobi smirked knowing that at such close distance, it would impossible for the shinobi to dodge and would end up dead. However, everyone's eyes widened dramatically when they saw the blond kid standing in his spot unharmed.

"He… he is absorbing the chakra in that jutsu into himself!" spoke an aged black-haired man baffled at the scene before him. Never in his entire shinobi career had he seen someone with such an ability.

"Such a pitiful jutsu." Naruto remarked flatly. He could have finished off everyone before they even knew it, but he wanted to see how strong these people were. He too had heard the news of the civil war that started in Mizu no Kuni. While he certainly didn't share the same views as the Yondaime Mizukage, he was a little interested as to what sort of shinobi worked under the men. And he had little doubt that the Mizukage would send weak shinobi to another nation.

Seeing as how the blond was simply standing his ground, one of them fired several kunai towards Naruto who deftly dodged each one of them with little effort. He then proceeded to take out his own kunai and with unbelievable speed threw it back at him, killing the man instantly. However, Naruto quickly had to jump back to avoid a sword swing aimed at his neck.

" **Amaterasu**." Naruto whispered as the man who attacked him with the sword became ablaze with black flames. The shinobi screamed in pain as slowly the flesh began melting off his body. Upon seeing the horrid sight, the other three shinobi fearfully took a step backward as they realized who the blond kid was. The rumors a shinobi killing off his targets with inextinguishable black flames had reached to every corner of the Elemental Nations within the last year.

"Ku… Kuro Shi ( _Black Death_ )" Whispered the blue haired as the gravity of the situation finally fell upon him. The other shinobi glanced at their comrade as sweat began forming on the side of their faces. They too had heard about the Kuro Shi of Konoha and if the rumors of his strength were anywhere near correct, they knew this was a fight they could not win.

"Oh… you know of me then." Naruto stated impassively while the look on his face was borderline boredom. Taking the momentary lapse of concentration from the three shinobi, Naruto gripped his chokuto again firmly and dispatched all three of them. Shaking the blood off his chokuto, he sheathed in back on his waist. Taking out a sealing scroll from his waist pouch, he sealed all six of the heads within the seal and then proceeded to jump onto the rooftop.

'Time to remove everyone from the genjutsu.' Naruto thought as a large wave of chakra pulsed off him which blanketed the entire town. Immediately the people were jerked off what they were doing and began looking at each other frantically. One of the civilians noticed the Konoha Anbu on top of the building and yelled with a large smile on his face.

"Look, Konoha has sent help! We are saved!" Noticing that everyone was back to normal, Naruto shunshined from the building to outside the town. He never really liked being the center of attention. Deciding to get done with the mission, he turned around and began making his way back to Konoha.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile in Amegakure**_

In a dark underground cave, stood three people and six astral figures. All these people were S-Rank missing ninja from various villages. Despite having conflicting personalities and aspirations, they were huddled together here to receive their latest order from their leader. The only common attribute among all of them was the high collared black cloaks with red clouds, which was worn by all. Another figure with a spiral orange mask stood a little above who looked at the six astral figures with a bored expression behind his mask.

"We have collected enough resources for the commencement of our plan. Now, I want each one of you head out and look for your respected targets. Your only task is to find and observe the jinchuriki until further orders. We are still not ready to seal the bijuu within the statue yet. However, if you are to find the target isolated, only then must each team go for the capture." stated an orange haired man authoritatively with several black piercings around his nose and ears. Even in the darkness his silver colored rippling eyes glowed brightly, emphasizing the power held by the man.

"So, it finally starts. It should be fun." Smirked a man with a distinctive shark like appearance. He had a very tall and muscular physique with pale and light blue skin. He had small, round white eyes and sharp triangular teeth with three sets of curved facial marking under his eyes, which looked akin to gills. His forehead adorned the symbol of Kirigakure with a slash mark across it, signifying his defection from the village. He also wore a ring on his left ring finger which had the kanji for south.

"It's about time, yeah! I am getting bored with collecting these pesky bounties!" yelled another man confidently with long blond hair, half of which was tied in a ponytail with the rest hanging down freely.

"You all have been given your targets. Now, leave to look for the jinchuriki immediately." Ordered the orange haired man.

"Hai, Pain-sama." Everyone in the group nodded their head in accordance before seemingly disappear from the cave. The man called Pain glanced upward before the orange masked ninja jumped down and walked towards him.

"Madara, what do you want?" asked Pain, coldly.

"We need to talk about the Kyubi jinchuriki…"

* * *

 _ **Author Notes- Well, in about four chapters or so, the academy students will finally graduate and from there on forth, the story will start featuring more. I know it may seem odd for Iwagakure to wait for so long, but I promise to make the fight between Iwagakure and Konoha worth the wait. There will be some twists to the story too. Also, some people raised the issue of the age where Minato is Madara's son and Tsunade is Hashirama's grandaugther. However, in one of the earlier chapters I did specify that Tsunade was Hashirama's daughter instead of grandaughter. Also, in the anime/manga, Hiruzen had Asuma when he was around 40 years. Similarly, Minato was born when Madara turned around that age, while Hashirama simply had a daughter earlier in his life. Naruto and those from his class during his time at the academy are 12 years old now.**_

 ** _Do follow, favorite and review the story if you come to like it. It's really appreciated._**

 **Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The Looming Shadows**

* * *

After completing his assigned task, Naruto had immediately left the small town and steadily made his way back to Konoha. Knowing that he would be free for a few days after he gave his report, he was in no rush to reach home. Hence, he had decided to take a rather slow pace on his way back. It had been a little over four hours since he was on the road and it was relatively peaceful for the blond. He rarely got any time for himself amidst all the missions he was sent on. But he never complained about any of that. He loved his village far too much and loved serving his country. Despite his love for Konoha and the Land of Fire, he couldn't ignore the slight distant feeling in his heart. Having travelled to several different parts of the Elemental Nations since he joined the Anbu, the amount of sorrow, misery and hatred he had come across- it was truly terrifying. It had changed him in ways he himself couldn't describe. He earnestly wished for all the conflicts between the five villages to subside. But, since the dawn of the shinobi, peace always seemed like an impossibility among them.

As he was walking in the dense forests of Hi no Kuni in the late evening, a sudden gust of wind suddenly hit him, and he came to an abrupt halt. He casually looked around, as if looking for someone. While his face still portrayed an impassive look, his mind was highly alert of his surroundings. It was very subtle, but he had felt the extremely potent chakra, even if it was for a second. He took a step forward but noticed a strangeness in the wind and trees around him.

'It's as if time itself has frozen. But, somehow it doesn't seem to affect me.' Naruto thought cautiously. He was familiar with jikukan ninjutsu, but he had never heard or come across anything such as this. He flared his chakra, but nothing seemed to happen. Trying it for a few more times, he eventually settled down and looked to his right from here he had felt the chakra.

"You may as well show yourself. It's no point hiding. I know you're here." Naruto called out, seemingly to no one. There was no response for a few minutes before he suddenly turned around and jumped back. He saw a strange looking pale skinned man. He had medium sized light colored unkempt hair which he wore in a ponytail. He wore a long sleeved, light colored suit with a sectioned apron over it, along with a sash. But the most mind-boggling feature Naruto noticed were the horns that grew from the back of his head that covered his forehead along with the red colored rinnegan in both his eyes. Naruto eyed the man warily, having already sensed the immense power that the man held. He was sure, even if he gave his all, this was a fight he wouldn't win. His own chakra reserves felt like a droplet of water compared to the man's endless ocean of chakra.

"I must say that I'm impressed… young Otsutsuki prince." Announced the man with a weak smile. Naruto's eyes significantly widened on hearing the name Otsutsuki but remained calm nonetheless.

"Otsutsuki?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow. By now he had realized, there wasn't much he could do to get out of this jikukan ninjutsu either. He wasn't ever sure if it was ninjutsu to begin with. With his rinnegan he could see that the flow of time itself had stopped and it baffled him completely. He couldn't even speak to Kurama for that matter. And the fact that the man before him called him the Otsutsuki prince confused him greatly. His knowledge about the Otsutsuki Clan was very scarce and in fact whatever he knew about them, he had learned that from Kurama.

"I'm not surprised that you don't know about us, young Naruto. It has rather been some time since our clan has associated with any beings from this dimension." Replied the man formally, his words intriguing the blond greatly.

"And who might you be?" asked Naruto flatly. The man chuckled seeing the expression on the young boy's face. "I am one who stands above everyone else. But if you insist, you may call me Takeshiki Otsutsuki." The man said, quite humbly.

"That's ridiculous… it shouldn't be possible. The Otsutsuki Clan lived millennials ago. And why do you call me the Otsutsuki prince?" asked Naruto speculatively. As the seconds passed, none of them spoke a word. Soon enough, Takeshiki walked forward from under the tree, as he now stood under the clearing of the evening sky.

"Millennials? What you humans call time is a momentary speck in the infinite space and time. The laws that govern time are different depending on where you put yourself. As for your question, the members of the Otsutsuki Clan have ways of prolonging their lives, while some of them are born with such high regeneration abilities that they are essentially immortal. We have laws in place that govern the existence of our species. Now, tell me what you know about the Otsutsuki Clan. Surely, the fox must have told you something by now." Takeshiki said, his voice signifying his seriousness. Naruto widened his eyes significantly at that little piece of information. "I'm not here to harm you, Naruto. You surely must realize that by now. If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead by now. Although, I generally refrain from such actions." He emphasized when he sensed the hesitance in the young boy's demeanor.

"I… I don't understand. What does the Otsutsuki Clan have to do anything with the matters of shinobi?" Naruto queried in confusion, losing his calm exterior. Takeshiki sighed at the young boy's dilemma but decided to be patient and explain everything to Naruto. It certainly wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't even see to the survival of his own descendent.

"Do you know what the moon and sun symbol on your hands mean?" asked Takeshiki.

"From what I understand it represents the yin and yang half of my chakra. But…" Naruto stopped midsentence when he saw the elderly man put his hand up as if to stop him from talking. That was when he noticed, the same symbols on the man's hands too. Yet again he couldn't keep the shock from being displayed on his face.

"You are partially correct. Although, essentially the moon and the sun symbol on your hands represents the fact that you are a member of the Otsutsuki Clan's main family. There are very few of us left…" answered Takeshiki Otsutsuki with a hint of sorrow in his voice. The fact was that Takeshiki was the last member of the Otsutsuki's main family left other than Naruto and Minato. Naruto noticed the tone the elderly man took but did not interrupt him, his own curiosity about the ancient clan multiplying.

"You are a descendent of Kaguya Otsutsuki. The main family of our Clan resides in a different space-time compared to your world and we search around the different dimensions for the Shinju that was scattered in the beginning. Our Clan has existed since the beginning of time and space itself." Explained the elderly Otsutsuki as clearly as he could. Meanwhile, Naruto listened to the man before him with a relatively calm expression now as he understood the meaning behind his words.

"So, why show yourself now? From what little history I know, the only people with the Otsutsuki name to have lived in this world are Kaguya, Hagoromo, Hamura, Indra and Ashura. I'm aware that I'm a direct descendant of Kaguya Otsutsuki. And that Hagoromo and Hamura battled the Juubi and Kaguya, eventually sealing her away in the moon. That's all I know." Naruto stated earnestly. Takeshiki nodded his head, already having figured out the extent of the young boy's knowledge.

"There are dark forces working in the shadows, young prince. For the survival of your family as well as that of our clan, you need to be prepared. You are the only one who can stop them. Chakra was never meant to be shared with anyone other than the members of our clan. But that all changed when Kaguya appeared in this world. The main house of our clan has been divided for quite some time now and there are factions that believe the knowledge of chakra should remain within the Otsutsuki Clan, _at all costs_. In time, there will be people who will be coming to this world seeking for you. You must be ready for that time." Revealed Takeshiki further surprising Naruto.

The blond barely uttered a word even after Takeshiki had finished speaking. It all sounded so unbelievable to him that he really did not know what to say. But judging from the man's attitude, Naruto knew that he wasn't being deceitful. Furthermore, if what he heard was right, then the shinobi world would soon fall into a greater danger. And based on the overwhelming power he sensed from the man earlier, he wondered if he could ever hope to reach that level. But there was one thing, he knew for sure. He wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on his precious people. Takeshiki noticed a sudden change in the young boy's eyes and wondered if this was what emotion was. He was never too good at expressing those himself. 'Humans… such an interesting species, so fickle yet they have so much potential… I'm beginning to understand why Kaguya came to this world.' Thought Takeshiki interestingly.

"I still don't quite understand why you've decided to show yourself before me. Why would you wish to help me?" Naruto questioned yet again, looking at the man before him firmly. Seconds ticked away but he received no answer. Suddenly the images of three men standing atop a mountain flashed through his mind and his eyes widened, ever so slightly. For the past two years, disturbing visions of three people surrounded by death and chaos always barged into his dreams. He never spoke of them to anyone but knew it wasn't just a mere occurrence that he began having such visions since his rinnegan awakened.

"Does it have anything to do with the visions I have been having regularly?" asked Naruto, hoping to get some sort of answer. Lately he had began having feelings that he didn't know himself all too well.

"In time, you shall learn the entire truth, young prince. Those eyes of yours will witness a great deal of grief as your power grows and it will be your choices that will bring about either life or death around yourself. You still have a lot to learn. The future has untold possibilities, but out of the countless ones lies only one right path." stated Takeshiki sagely. Before Naruto could say anything further, he saw the man turning around and walk in the opposite direction as his body began to fade.

"We shall meet again, young Naruto. Heed my words carefully…" were the last words Naruto heard before Takeshiki completely faded out of his sight. He noticed that the surrounding around him had returned to normal and for a second wondered whether everything that had transpired was a dream or not. It was just so much of information to take in. His young mind wasn't prepared to handle the gravity of all of this, but he tried his best to keep himself composed. From all his years of training he had learnt that nothing could ever be accomplished with a troubled mind. He somberly looked up at the moon in the night sky and wondered why his life must be so hard. All he ever wanted was to live peacefully with his family. Alas, he knew that was only a wishful thinking.

"I will have to look into this matter myself… the Otsutsuki Clan huh?" Naruto whispered as the words simply drifted along the wind in the forest. Shaking his head slightly, he once again turned around and began making his way back to Konoha. Based on what he heard, he realized there wasn't any immediate danger to Konoha from the Otsutsuki Clan. Even so, the matter couldn't be just left alone. Chakra. which is the fundamental source of power in the shinobi world today had after all originated from the Otsutsuki Clan. Or that's what he believed. He couldn't even begin to fathom how strong the clan would be. And learning that the Otsutsuki are incased in an internal conflict doesn't really help him all that much. Despite being highly suspicious of the person who greeted him earlier, he was relieved that the conversation did not escalate to any fighting.

Deep within Naruto's seal, Kurama lay on the ground with a somewhat speculative look on his face. He wasn't certain as to what transpired in the last ten minutes, but he was sure Naruto was approached by someone questionable. There weren't many things that alarmed the age old bijuu, but this incident certainly put him on guard.

* * *

 _ **Amegakure**_

"What about the Kyubi jinchuriki?" asked Pain with a straight face.

"Orochimaru is planning to attack the Kyuubi brat with Danzo Shimura and Iwagakure's aid within the span of next two months. I had Zetsu keep an eye out on Orochimaru after he betrayed Akatsuki. Also, there's been some disturbing news that has been travelling around the Elemental Nations regarding the Kyuubi's host." Replied Madara. The purple haired woman standing beside Pain, narrowed her eyes slightly at the masked man before her. She never truly trusted the intentions of the man and found it hard to believe his claim of being Madara. But, she never voiced her opinion in front of him. She subtly glanced towards Pain, unnoticed by the masked shinobi.

"There's no need to worry about the Kyuubi yet. Even right now, the Gedo Mazo isn't ready for the sealing of the bijuus. And the Kyuubi must be sealed at the end." Replied the orange haired man stoically. Pain very well knew about the identity of the Kyuubi jinchuriki- Naruto Namikaze, son of Yondaime Hokage. "I hope, this won't be sentimental for you? The fact that the boy is your grandson is of no consequence to me or my group." Emphasized Pain. Madara narrowed his eyes behind mask but immediately relaxed his features.

"Not at all… I was merely going to suggest sending Kisame to observe the battle. I have no doubt that Konoha will come out on top in the little skirmish Orochimaru constructed. Naruto is a rather interesting person if I must say so…" mused Madara as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Oh? What are your thoughts of him then?" questioned Pain rather keenly.

"He had awakened the rinnegan in his right eye two years ago when Danzo fled the village. And his power has grown tremendously ever since. And the Yondaime Hokage's power is no joke either. I dare say, the two might be a match for you too…" Madara stated with a smirk, knowing full well of the reaction he might get. However, he was slightly surprised by the lack of reaction. Yet, Pain as well as Konan were highly intrigued by the revelation. He was told by Jiraiya long ago that the rinnegan only manifested itself during time of great chaos and was only awakened by the Rikudo Sennin before. He also wondered if there was a relation between him and Naruto but did not let his mind think much into the matter. He would make sure to build a world of peace and go through any obstacle to see his plans become reality. He was after all a god.

"Is that so? He too shall know pain when the time comes. The Elemental Nations has danced on the idiotic whims of five great villages for far too long. Naruto Namikaze, Jiraiya and the Yondaime Hokage are just another shinobi who shall be dealt with when the time comes. In the meantime, you and Kisame should keep an eye on the Kyubi. I shall very well like to know how strong the Kyubi jinchuriki's rinnegan is." Pain replied with an air of finality before he and Konan walked off leaving Madara all alone. Just when the two were out of sight and hearing range, Zetsu rose from the ground beside the orange masked shinobi.

" **I didn't think you were going to tell him about Naruto's rinnegan at all.** But, why didn't you tell him everything about the Kyuubi jinchuriki?" stated the black half of Zetsu, followed by his white counterpart.

"Considering how strong the boy has become, he could become a threat to my plans. But, I have seen how strong his emotions are. I'm sure Naruto himself has sensed the darkness that lies within him. It was a shame that I couldn't get Itachi to join our little group. If I can get Naruto to join me, there would be no one strong enough to oppose me. But its still quite a few years before I can even approach Naruto with my offer. However, there's also young Sasuke. He is a different story altogether. I wonder how he'll take the news about the truth of Uchiha Massacre…" mused Madara. He had kept a close watch on Konoha since his failed attempt to kill the Yondaime Hokage twelve years ago. He had to commend the fact that Konoha had some interesting students in the academy but none of them caught his attention like Naruto and Sasuke.

" **It will be easier said than done. So long as he's surrounded by the likes of Yondaime Hokage, Jiraiya, Shisui and Itachi, he will be hard to capture even if the whole Akatsuki were the go after him. Despite that too, his rinnegan is powerful. Much more powerful than Nagato's…** " warned the black half of Zetsu.

"I have plans for them too. That is, if Orochimaru doesn't get to them first. His obsession with the sharingan is unhealthy, to say the least. Once we capture the other bijuus or at least half of them, we can move onto the Kyuubi then. In the meantime, I want you to keep an eye on Ohnoki and Orochimaru's movement. The moment they make a move on Takigakure, I want you to inform me. I wouldn't want to miss the show after all." Madara replied in an authoritative voice. Zetsu simply nodded and sank back into the ground to follow the wishes of his master.

'Time to see how my little pet in Kiri is handling the business.' Thought Madara before swirling away into the vortex originating from the eyehole in his orange mask.

* * *

 _ **A few weeks later**_

It was almost eight in the evening and most of Konoha was still busy with their daily works. The streets were filled with people as the village was covered in a relatively cooler weather. Over the past couple of weeks, winter had slowly begun to roll its way to the Land of Fire. Since the Fire Nation is in the middle of the Elemental Nations, the summer was quite hot in these lands. Although the summer wasn't as bad compared to Kaze no Kuni's, it was still hard for a regular person to stand directly under the sun for more than a few hours. The arrival of winter meant a busier schedule for the populace of Konoha due to increase in tourists as well as mission demands.

At the edge of the Hokage Monument, Naruto sat quietly as his eyes gazed at the glistening sky filled with countless mysteries. Over the past years, Naruto had made it sort of a habit to spend some of his free time on top of the Shodai Hokage's stone face and simply observe his friends' train during the morning while in the academy. Those were the times when he most wished if he was a normal kid- maybe then, he too would be in the company of his friends. He wasn't delusional enough to cling to those thoughts or wishes for comfort, but he had been rather stressed over the past few weeks. His meeting with the man named Takeshiki Otsutsuki had pushed his mind into a frenzy of questions, to which he had no answer. He did not even know where to start looking for them. He had decided to discuss the matter with his father once both Jiraiya and Itachi were in the village and thus hadn't told anyone else about it. Naruto knew he could discuss this matter with his father alone too, but considering the amount of work he has been under lately, he figured it could wait. He was certain Jiraiya's experience and in-depth knowledge about the Elemental Nations would be an immense help in gathering information about the Otsutsuki Clan. However, since both Jiraiya and Itachi were away from the village, he had to wait until their return.

As his eyes lingered towards the moon, once again he found himself wondering about his friends in the academy. It had been a little over two years since he had spoken to anyone of them except Sasuke. His heart pained a little as he thought about Hinata and Sakura. Those two were the first in his age group to accept him as a friend and understand him. He chuckled dryly as he realized how he had broken their trust. 'huh... some friend I am…' thought Naruto. But, he also knew it was for their own good. Considering his past, he never wanted to put his friends' life in danger just because of him. He wanted them to become stronger, so that they could defend themselves and Konoha in the face of powerful enemies. Once again, his eyes looked over the peaceful village and saw the illusion that most of the villagers were under. All the great villages were at odds with each other and the temporary peace which had reigned over the Elemental Nations since the last Shinobi War looked more fragile with every passing day. Naruto was certain a storm was heading their way soon enough, one that would bring about a revolution in the Elemental Nations.

"Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha created this village with the hope to shelter the young kids from war, to stop the unnecessary bloodshed. But, in the end all it did was give rise to more wars. I wonder what they might have to say looking at the current shinobi world..." Naruto muttered to himself.

" **Madara lived for the thrill of battle. I doubt whether he would be surprised. From what I know, it's the same with most of the Uchihas. All of them seem crazy to me.** " Kurama snickered. A small smile formed on Naruto's face hearing Kurama's words.

"Well, maybe I should arrange you a reunion with him?" Naruto questioned tauntingly.

" **I will rip that Uchiha to shreds if I ever see him again.** " Retorted Kurama loudly as his massive tails swung wildly behind him. Naruto smirked when he heard the irritation within his friend's voice. It amused him to know that even after so many decades, the animosity Kurama held for his grandfather hadn't dwindled even a bit. Then again, he mused would be quite mad too if someone made him act against his own will.

'I doubt you will…' Naruto said to his partner telepathically. And the ironic part was that Kurama knew that fact very well. Even if he wanted to kill that despicable man, he couldn't. Not unless he wished to make Naruto furious. There were times when Kurama too was confused by Naruto's line of thoughts. He had noticed as Naruto grew up, his curiosity and questions regarding the shinobi world only grew more complex with no one to provide him an answer for.

" **You should talk to them sometime, Naruto… You've been working a lot in Anbu the past couple of years.** " Kurama stated. Yet again, Naruto's face became quite soft upon hearing those words. But, he did it all for the sake of his friends. His hands were stained in blood while his friends' were as innocent as the day they all were born. And he wanted to keep it that for as long as he could. No one knew the burden that he carried on himself and no one could even begin to understand the responsibility he felt towards his village, his country. It was because he was willing to protect from the shadows so that his friends could bask in the light when the time comes.

"When the time's right, my old friend." Whispered the blond shinobi to his partner.

Deciding to go home and rest for a while, Naruto got up from the edge and began making his way through the forests at the back of the Hokage monument. Unknown to him, a small white snake followed his every footstep from the shadows.

* * *

 _ **A month and half later**_

A lone shinobi stood before a large waterfall, with his face covered under a white hood. On the other side of the waterfall, stood the proud village of Takigakure, home to the jinchuriki of Nanabi. It was early into the dawn and most of the people were still asleep in their bed peacefully ignorant of the danger lurking right on their door steps.

"The time has come… for all of it to end." whispered the man as he brought forth his hands and placed his palms together, thereby calling out the name of his jutsu menacingly.

" **Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei no Jutsu** "

* * *

 _ **Author Notes- Well, this arc is almost at it's finishing stages. The fight between Konoha and Iwagakure becomes inevitable as Ohnoki makes his first move in order to draw out Konoha, especially Naruto and his group. This fight will provide a major turning point in Naruto's life as a shinobi and how he'll perceive those he cherishes. I doubt Akatsuki would be involved much in this fight. Their only interest is in gauging out the strength of their targets, which is essentially Naruto and Fu.**_

 _ **The next arc will revolve heavily around the 'Konoha 11' which will include Naruto's friend's graduating from the academy, their missions, Chunin exam and how the war between Konoha and Iwagaukre will affect the Five Great Nations. And I know that there hasn't been much of Naruto-Hinata moments, but rest assured, the next arc will feature their relationship properly.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! I will really appreciate the feedback!**_

 **Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**_Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu_**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Fall of Takigakure (Part 1)**

* * *

 _Takigakure no Sato_

Shibuki, the current leader of Takigakure no Sato was sitting in his office with a grim look on his face. Despite the somewhat quiet period in the past two years, he was still worried about his home coming under an invasion by their neighboring village, Iwagakure no Sato. Kuma no Kuni, Tori no Kuni and Kusagakure had already been merged into the territory of Tsuchi no Kuni after their leaders were successfully taken down in an assassination by Iwagakure Anbu. The fact that the Tsuchikage did not even attempt to hide his involvement in those assassinations early on felt a little strange to him, alas, he had more gruesome matters to worry about.

Unlike the great five nations, the military strength of his village was not that commendable. He barely had a little over two thousand battle ready shinobi. And even among those, a third of them did not have experience in a real war. Although they possessed the Nanabi, their jinchuriki wasn't entirely proficient in utilizing the bijuu's chakra. Even so, the shinobi of his village would rather let Fu fight the enemy alone than fight alongside her. It saddened him greatly to see Fu get treated with such disdain because of the bijuu sealed in her. Even after so many years, none of the villagers had come to accept her as one of them. And he was ashamed that he couldn't do anything personally to make her life easier. At times, the damn politics within the village infuriated him, that it left him unable to help a mere child.

Right now, his only solace was his village's treaty with Konoha. It was their last resort, but it was an option on which he could depend upon. The Yondaime Hokage was a reputable man who was known for his kindness towards his allies and his ruthlessness towards his enemies.

"What a mess…" sighed Shibuki as he eyed all the documents on his desk once again.

"There isn't any point in overthinking about the matter Shibuki. Right now, all we can do is prepare our shinobi for is to come. Based on their actions, it is inevitable that the village may very well fall under invasion. You're the leader. You are the person, who must stay calm and strong at all times." came the strong voice of Senji, sitting on the other side of desk, going through some of the documents. He was the former village head of Takigakure and now an aid to Shibuki. He was an old man with a craggy face, and long white hair.

"I hear what you say, Senji-sama. But, I still can't help but worry…" Shibuki replied. Suddenly the door to his office busted open and in came a chunin with a horrified look on his face.

"Shibuki-sama! There are three shinobi outside who have forcefully broken through the waterfall and are currently heading inside the village. The shinobi guarding the waterfall were killed but managed to confirm that one of them is Orochimaru of the Sannin while the identity of the other two in unknown!" reported the chunin hastily. Both Shibuki and Senji had stupefied looks on their faces upon hearing the news. The waterfall provided a natural barrier to Takigakure and wasn't an easy one to breakthrough.

"Are you sure, it's just three shinobi?" Shibuki questioned as he got up from his seat.

"Hai, Shibuki-sama. It's just the three of them. Our border patrol is scouting around the village for more enemy but so far, it looks like just those three. Three more squads of jounin have gone to apprehend the three of them but we haven't gotten any reply from them yet." The chunin replied.

"Get back to your post and ask all the jounins to assemble near the entrance immediately. I will be out there in a few minutes." Stated Shibuki. Thereafter, the chunin quickly left to carry out the given orders.

Senji took in a deep breath to calm himself down. Knowing that something is going to happen is a lot different than actually going through that. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Orochimaru was among the most nefarious criminals of the Fire country and was a S-Rank ninja. While their village did not have any Kage level shinobi, Shibuki was the closest one to that title out of all the Takigakure ninjas.

"Shibuki, you go outside and handle the problem as best as you can. I will send out a distress letter to Konoha as soon as possible. And if the worst comes to pass, you do realize we'll be left with only two options." Senji said gravely. The tension was now clearly visible on the Takigakure leader's face. While he was nervous, he was willing to do anything to protect his own village. It was like Senji had said. He had to stay strong. His shinobi would be looking up to him for strength in this battle and he could not afford to let them down. His own father had sacrificed himself for Takigakure in the Third Shinobi War and now, he would have to muster up the same resolve.

"I appreciate it Senji-sama. Let's hope we can hold our own until help arrives." Shibuki replied before rushing out of the building.

A few minutes later, when Shibuki reached the entrance of the village, he came upon the ghastly image of bodies lying scattered across the ground. There were still a few shinobi who seemed to be alive but one look at them could say that they were barely hanging on to their lives. His body trembled slightly upon seeing several faces of his lifeless friends and he unconsciously clenched his fists in anger.

"You've finally come out to play, it seems Shibuki." He immediately whipped his head in the direction of that sickly voice and found Orochimaru standing with a twisted smile on his face. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the two other shinobi standing behind the Sannin but could not seem to place their names in his mind.

The one standing to Orochimaru's left was a fair skinned man with silver shaggy hair and dark colored eyes. He had three markings on his face, one under each eye and one on his chin. He wore a blue armor with a distinctive white fur collar over a simple black suit. On the right was a dark-skinned man with a large build and well-defined muscle. He had a full head of white hair that flowed into his back and a long beard. His face had pronounced cheek bones and tear troughs under his eyes, and a prominent crease across his forehead with a mole above his right eyebrow. However, the peculiar characteristic about these two shinobi were the darkened sclerae and the marred cracks across their whole body. His curiosity rose greatly when he noticed the Konoha symbol on the happuri worn by the silver haired man and the typical Kumogakure attire worn by the other.

His eyes widened in alarm and disbelief when he realized who exactly the two shinobi were. 'Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage. But, how is it possible. Both had perished during the previous Shinobi Wars…' However, that wasn't his main concern now. Despite having faith in his abilities as a shinobi, there was no way he could fight two kages and a Sannin all alone. It was simply impossible. Even with his trump card, he doubted it would make much difference. Alas, he would need to stand strong.

"What purpose do you have in attacking our village, Orochimaru?" Shibuki genuinely asked, bringing his focus back to the matter at hand. He had to buy some time for all his shinobi to gather aptly. While he was aware, he would not last much longer in a fight against these three, he could at least buy some time for help to arrive from Konoha by using more numbers. Moreover, the Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage gave him a morbid feeling. He could only conclude that Orochimaru had found a way to revive the two former kage using a kinjutsu. Despite not being a sensor, he could tell that the two had overwhelming power. And the way they stoically stood behind the snake Sannin as if waiting for his command, unnerved him greatly.

"You may say it's for a greater purpose. But, then again, that would be lying on my part. Just think of yourself as a sacrificial pawn. You're nothing but fodder, a means to an end." Orochimaru stated. Before Shibuki could even make a move, the silver haired shinobi rushed at him with terrifying speed.

Senji had already sent a distress message towards Konohagakure no Sato and hoped it would reach the village within two hours. Despite being in his old age and weakened considerably, he was still strong enough to fight his own battles given the situations. He was about to head out to help Shibuki when a jounin from the border patrol entered the office hastily.

"Senji-sama, our border patrol has sensed a lot of chakra signatures heading towards us from the north-west. However, among them there are two enormous chakra signatures which resemble the Nanabi, most likely two jinchuriki. I believe these shinobi are from Iwagakure." Stated the jounin urgently. A look of panic formed on Senji's face on hearing the news. He weakly placed his hand on the desk for support as a bit of sweat began forming on his face. The situation was beginning to get worse by the minute.

"Go look for Fu immediately. Based on the current situation, we will need all the help we can get." Senji replied firmly, after a few seconds of quick thinking. The jounin nodded in response and left the room promptly. There were only a handful of people in the village who cared about Fu's welfare. Having known the previous jinchurikis for the Nanabi, Senji could sympathize with the enormous burden that was on Fu's shoulder. Yet, to this day he couldn't persuade his villagers to see otherwise. At the least, he always made sure that she received proper ninja training and essential necessities to live a simple life.

Iwagakure no Sato held the four tails and the five tails. Moreover, their jinchuriki had complete control over the bijuu. Roshi and Han, the jinchuriki of four and five tails respectively were feared within the Elemental Nation for their part in the second as well as third shinobi war and were regarded as S-Rank shinobi in the bingo book. And right now, it pained him to throw Fu in a battle against them. He could only hope for a miracle at this point. Because, there was none in the village who could fend off all the enemies adequately.

* * *

 _Konohagakure no Sato_

Naruto currently stood in the middle of a clearing surrounded by tall hills. This ground was a little to the west of Konoha and was also regarded as a special ground among the entire Anbu unit of the village. This was the place where the Nidaime Hokage had initiated the group of special shinobi intended only for black ops missions. His idea behind their formation, though simple was ingenuine at that time. During the times of war, most of the villages used to be at a stalemate with each other, cause of the information gathered by spies. Tobirama's ideology was that if the enemy did not have any knowledge of the group, they would fail to take the necessary actions against them. During the first shinobi war, this strategy worked flawlessly. But, soon as the war ended, more villages came up with the idea of Anbu groups specialized in areas such as recon, infiltration, assassinations and various more such departments, which had grown since that era.

Ever since Shisui had resigned from team Ro-Han a year ago or so, even Yugao had branched out from the group to join the recon unit of the Anbu. Though he was glad that she was now an Anbu captain and was faring well for herself, he was a little saddened that his group was splitting up. Currently, the ones in team Ro-Han were him, Itachi, Mikasa, a Nara shinobi named Yuri and the surprise addition of Sai. A few weeks after the Uchiha massacre Naruto was made aware that Sai's sole purpose in joining the academy was to keep an eye of him, under Danzo's order. However, since Danzo's defection from the village, Sai and a handful of more shinobi who were skeptical about Danzo's rule were integrated back into the regular Anbu. While, the rest were brutally executed under the name of treason. He was pleasantly surprised when he was notified that Sai would be joining the group. Finally, there was someone of his age.

Coming out of his dazed state, he looked up to see that Mikasa was standing firm in her stance with her katana in her arms. Other than Yugao who often give him an earful as an older sister, Mikasa was more like his partner in crime. She was a reserved person, who mainly spoke when it was necessary. Much like Itachi, which often made him chuckle. However, he knew she cared for him. He was pleasantly surprised and a slightly embarrassed to learn that it was Yugao and Mikasa who looked after him for a few months after his mother's death. Embarrassed cause, he still found it strange to comprehend that the two kunoichi had seen him unclothed.

On many occasions, Naruto and Mikasa would come to this area to practice kenjutsu. Well, it was mainly Mikasa giving out tips to Naruto to improve upon with his chokuto. Since, Naruto did not have anyone to teach him kenjutsu, whatever, he knew up to the point he joined Anbu, he had learned on his own. While he was proficient enough with a sword, he wasn't a kenjutsu master like Mikasa, who had been dabbling with this art for the past twenty years.

"You look tired, Naruto. Had enough already?" Mikasa taunted with a small smile as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.

"Heh, you wish." Replied Naruto. Once again, charging his sword with raiton chakra, he dashed towards the kunoichi, who in turn did the same. A few seconds later, their swords met in a resounding clash. For a few moments, they battled for supremacy. Seeing as he was losing the battle in strength slightly, Naruto loosened his grip and ducked down to sweep Mikasa off her feet. Having already anticipated that, Mikasa jumped up and brought her sword down on the blond shinobi. Quickly parring off the attack with the sword now in his left hand, he jumped back up to his feet. Instead of jumping back to gain some distance, he swiftly closed the distance between Mikasa and him and tried to slash the kunoichi from the left. Yet again, Mikasa gracefully deflected that blow. However, she was surprised when another Naruto popped up from behind who also had a chokuto in his hand and ran up to her from her rear.

'That sly little fox…' thought Mikasa with a chuckle. Making a single hand sign with her free hand, she surrounded herself with raiton chakra and sent bolts of electricity towards the kage bunshin. However, that momentary lapse of concentration had costed her. The Naruto in front of her, had swiftly hit her right shoulder with the hilt of his chokuto, making it slightly sore. While she had managed to destroy that single bunshin, she now also had a disadvantage.

"That was well played Naruto, I will give you that. A bit unorthodox, but nice." Mikasa complemented. Naruto smiled on hearing that. He was after all a specialist when it came to unorthodox moves.

However, their sparring soon came to an end, when another Anbu came amidst them. "Washi-senpai, Usagi-senpai, Hokage-sama has summoned you immediately." Stated the Anbu. The two gave a curt nod and the Anbu soon disappeared from the premises.

"I really hope it's for some mission. I have been getting bored as hell inside the village!" Naruto said exasperatedly. Mikasa shook her head at his whining, but she couldn't blame him. She too was getting a little impatient being inside the confines of the village.

 _Hokage Office_

About ten minutes later, when Naruto and Mikasa entered the office, Naruto was surprised to see the rest of his team also assembled here. He noticed the grave expression on his father's and Shikaku's face and realized the upcoming mission must be of utmost importance. His suspicion was further confirmed when seconds later, the elders, Koharu and Homura also walked into the Hokage's office.

"What is so important that you had to even summon us, Minato?" Koharu questioned. Despite being in her old age, she was a veteran shinobi who served directly under Tobirama Senju along with Homura. The two elders had fought in all the past shinobi wars and as such their inputs in the important decisions pertaining to Konoha was always welcomed by Minato. After Danzo's defection he had secretly kept the two under strict watches and was satisfied when he found no discrepancies in their behavior. Losing two great tactical minds as these two would have certainly dealt a huge blow to Konohagakure no Sato.

Minato looked around once and wordlessly ordered all the other Anbu to leave the room. Once they were gone, he made a few hand seals and erected a sound barrier around the room.

"Now that everyone's here, I'll brief everyone on the news. About half an hour ago, we received a distress message from Takigakure no Sato." This seemed to get everyone's attention as their ears perked up, on hearing that slight bit of information. Itachi's calculative mind had already begun listing up the possibilities for such an action and concluded upon the reason soundly in a matter of few seconds.

"About a couple of hours ago, Takigakure was invaded by Orochimaru and two more unknown shinobi. The message was sent by Senji-sama, the former village head of Takigakure and an aid to Shibuki, the current leader. The shinobi guards at the entrance of the village were killed and Shibuki had personally gone to intervene the three invaders. He has asked for our assistance in dealing with them." Minato revealed.

"Based on our intel, we believe Tsuchi no Kuni is involved in this matter. In the last two years, Tsuchi no Kuni has successfully invaded and captured the Land of Bear, the Land of Birds and the Land of Grass. They are gradually increasing their territory and moving towards Hi no Kuni. However, I believe the Tsuchikage plans to invade Takigakure, not for geographical advantage, but for the bijuu. They already possess two bijuu and gaining a third one, will definitely augment their power as a Great Nation." Shikaku stated. Minato nodded his head, concurring with his advisor's line of thought.

"What bijuu does Takigakure hold?" voiced Naruto curiously. He was aware that Iwagakure had possession of the four and five tails, but Takigakure was still a mystery to him. Mikasa prudently glanced towards her blond teammate with a little worry. She was conscious about his feelings towards the bijuu. Initially it sounded absurd to hear him call a bijuu his friend, but over time she had learned to accept that. Just cause whole her life she was taught to dislike something; doesn't mean she couldn't try to see it differently.

"During the formation of the village system, Shodai-sama had given the Nanabi to Takigakure as a sign of friendship and good will for their support to the village. Currently, the bijuu is housed in a girl named Fu, who's about your age Washi." Minato replied.

"Is my team going to be sent for this mission, Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked up straight. However, Naruto could feel the slight dilemma in his heart. While Itachi was confident in his team's abilities, there were several unknown factors that could compromise this mission.

"That is correct Karasu. Even though we have recovered our military strength greatly in the past two years, we can't afford to send too many shinobi. Takigakure may be our allies, but this very well could turn out to be a trap. That's why I have decided to send a select few dependable shinobi." Shikaku confirmed. Minato rested his arms on his desk and closed his eyes momentarily to clear his head. There indeed were a lot of uncertainties prevailing this mission. Before anyone else, he had to look after his own shinobi and village. He was slightly surprised that the elders had not uttered a single word till now.

"What are your thoughts Koharu-sama, Homura-sama?" Minato questioned, glancing towards them.

"Anything that involves Orochimaru is never a good sign. Ohnoki has never been one to give up on past grudges. You should be certain that it is a trap. Orochimaru may be a hideous criminal, but he's not stupid. He's aware that Takigakure would very well ask Konoha for assistance. He wouldn't attack the village alone, if he did not have someone backing him up. Most likely Danzo and Ohnoki." Koharu replied rather grumpily. Naruto clenched his fists slightly on hearing that shinobi's name. He hated Danzo with passion. He was the sole reason for the Uchiha massacre and for getting Hinata involved in that incident two years back. He swore back then, he would end his life one way or another.

"Danzo and Orochimaru both pose an enormous threat to Konoha. Moreover, their knowledge about the village is far too much to be left unchecked. And if they are colluding with our enemies, Hi no Kuni may become their next target of invasion. They need to be dealt with as soon as possible. I would suggest sending only Karasu, Washi, Usagi, Sai and Kakashi for the mission. Having fought in the previous war, Kakashi and Usagi have a better knowledge of the terrain over there." Homura suggested strategically. The room became quiet as everyone awaited the Hokage's decision. Minato pondered over the matter for few more minutes before getting up from his seat.

"I agree with Homura-sama. Karasu, Washi, Usagi, Sai and Kakashi seem a good fit for the mission. If Danzo is involved, sending in Shisui may turn out to be quite hazardous. However, your objective in this mission is mainly to observe and to ensure the safety of the jinchuriki, Senji-sama and Shibuki-sama. Your secondary mission would be to eliminate Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru. If you do encounter any Iwagakure shinobi, either kill them or capture their lead commander for interrogation. Your team will be going in alone and you'll have no backup whatsoever." Minato stated firmly.

"Get going and ready up for the mission. You'll be leaving in twenty minutes." Minato said. Itachi, Naruto and Mikasa used shunshin to disappear from the office, while Homura and Koharu used the more traditional way and made their exit via the door.

"Shikaku, get me Kakashi and Sai in here immediately." Shikaku too disappeared from the office and made his way to the Anbu headquarters.

 _Twenty minutes later at the Northern Konoha Gate_

By the time Naruto arrived at the gate, he noticed that everyone was already waiting for him. He had a sheepish look on his face on realizing he was a tad bit late. In his earlier days, Itachi had always reprimanded him for not being on time.

"You sure took your time Washi." Kakashi stated sarcastically. Naruto's eye twitched on hearing that remark.

"Hey, you don't get to say that! You're always late for everything!" Naruto replied pointedly. Mikasa chuckled softly on seeing the banter between the two while Itachi and Sai stoically stood in their place. The two hardly spoke to each other, if it wasn't pertaining to their mission. Despite all the differences between all of them, there was no doubt that team Ro-Han probably was the foremost when it came to teamwork.

"Alright, that's enough. I assume everyone has packed adequately for this mission. It won't be a walk in the park… We'll always need to have our guard up from the moment we leave Hi no Kuni. We'll infiltrate Takigakure from the east and make our way to the rear of the village from there on. It'll take us approximately two hours or so if we travel using Sai's ink birds." Kakashi said seriously. Everyone took in the words of their captain and nodded in unison.

" **Ninpo: Choju Giga** " Sai said after drawing three birds in his scroll. Immediately, the three birds leapt from the scroll and grew to life-size form. Naruto and Kakashi sat on one, Itachi and Mikasa took the second while Sai sat on the last one. Within a few seconds, the birds took off into the air and headed towards the direction of Takigakure.

* * *

 _An hour later in Takigakure_

Despite all the constant hatred and fighting that always surrounded the Elemental Nations, the minor villages always provided a sort of haven for those who wished to distance themselves from the life of a shinobi. Due to their inferior military strength, the great five nations never showed much interest in such places. But all of that had begun to fade in the last couple of years, when Tsuchi no Kuni first invaded the Land of Birds, then consequently the Land of Birds and the Land of Grass. And the Land of Waterfall was no such exception. In the shinobi world, power alone dictates everything. Because Konoha has always come out on top in the past three shinobi wars, no one dared challenge the strongest village openly. The sheer number of exceptionally strong shinobi that have come out of Konoha has always seemed to unnerve the other nations. So, it was only a matter of time before one of the great nations decided to make a move against Konohagakure no Sato.

Takigakure no Sato was generally known for its lush green land, tall hills on the north and east and especially the beautiful waterfalls in the area. The village itself was hidden by a gigantic waterfall which provided a natural barrier against threats. However, all of that would seem unreal now. If one were to enter the village now, they would come across the ghastly scene of dead bodies scattered all over the village. The buildings were mostly broken down and large chunks of rocks were lying all around. The ground was covered with water, but instead of being clear, it flowed red with the blood of the fallen shinobi. The air reeked of death and frankly at first glance, one may think, the Shinigami himself had walked upon these lands.

However, among all the scattered bodies, there were still some who were barely clinging on to their life. But, for the fear of losing whatever precious time they had, they did not dare move a muscle. In the center of the village, near the village leader's office stood seven people. While four of them had unreadable expressions on their face, one had the look of pure amusement on his.

"Ku ku ku… I'm surprised you and your pet have managed to survive for so long, Shibuki." Orochimaru taunted with a maniacal laugh.

Shibuki was down on one knee, clutching the right side of his stomach, to stop the bleeding. His entire body was almost covered in blood which gave him the appearance of a wild beast. Beside him stood Fu, who appeared to be even more beaten down. Her skin was burnt red due to the over usage of the bijuu chakra and she knew any moment she would embrace the ground, like many others. She felt as if she may die just by standing for a few more minutes. Shibuki cursed out loud as he once again looked around himself with a horrified look on his face.

'H… how could… it come to this?' was the only thought running through his mind. In all his life, he had never come across so much death and destruction. Looking at his left hand, he knew this would be his final stance. He had one vial of the Eiyu no Mizu _(Hero Water)_ left. Once he would drink it, he should be able to stall the enemy long enough for Konoha shinobi to arrive. Looking to his right, he saw Fu wasn't faring much well. He had to ensure her safety at least. Watching her grow as a child, he had begun to view her as his own daughter. For the first time, he was glad that the Nanabi was sealed into her. That at least would ensure she wouldn't succumb to death right away. His hand trembled in trepidation as he clutched that single vial and brought it close to his mouth.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes on seeing Shibuki's actions but decided to entertain the simpleton for another round. His eyes were set on a larger picture, which he assumed would be arriving soon.

"Fu, stand down. You have fought bravely for this village and I really am proud of you. As the leader of this village, it is my responsibility to ensure your safety." Fu wanted to argue, she wanted to yell at him for not doing anything stupid. Alas, she did not have any energy left to speak her mind. She was aware of what Shibuki was going to do and tears freely slipped from her eyes realizing this may be last time, she'll get to see him. She forced her body to stand up but subsequently, her mind went blank as unconsciousness gripped on to her tightly.

Seeing as she was unconscious, Shibuki immediately drank the last vial of Eiyu no Mizu, as he felt his body getting rejuvenated by the influx of strong chakra. With defiant eyes, he once again stood up and settled into his stance to protect what he cherished.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes- There will be two more parts to 'The Fall of Takigakure'. As I have said earlier, this will be an important turning point for Naruto. While he has witnessed a lot of death in his short life, nothing would compare to what he'll see in Takigakure or justify the actions which he will be forced to take. Some may wonder why Takigakure shinobi have not tried sealing the two edo tensei kages, that's cause they don't know what jutsu it is that has brought the two kages back to life essentially. It is after all a kinjutsu. Even in the manga/anime, the Allied Shinobi forces were given the details beforehand on the necessary actions to take if they encounter any re animated shinobi.**_

 _ **In the next chapter, there will be a lot action. The Konoha shinobi will apprehend Orochimaru, the two kage and the other two shinobi with them (some may have already guessed who they are). It will also be Naruto's first time meeting another jinchuriki. All in all, I can say the next two chapters are going to be really special.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! The feedback helps me a lot in understanding the reader's point of view. I will try my best to portray it to everyone's liking.**_

 **Until next time!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: The Fall of Takigakure (Part 2)**

* * *

"I assume that was the last of your Eiyu no Mizu, Shibuki. I must say, the mysteries surrounding that special form of liquid intrigues even me. Your body would certainly make a great way for me research what exactly it does to a shinobi's body." Orochimaru stated with keen interest. Since that liquid wasn't available anywhere other than Takigakure, one rarely ever got to see its effects. But, even he wouldn't have imagined the great power ingesting that liquid provides, albeit temporarily. Still, he couldn't wait to inspect its properties after he was done with all this.

"Your disregard for life will one day be your greatest downfall, Orochimaru." Seethed Shibuki as he got his chakra under control. He would need to play this out strategically. At least, until the Konoha shinobi came. He didn't know who would come, but he will be betting all his hopes on that group.

"Orochimaru, get rid of this nuisance quickly. Tsuchikage-sama will be here momentarily. He doesn't want to dirty his hands for a matter such as this. And make sure the jinchuriki is not harmed any further. We need her alive." Stated a large, tall man. He was heavily armored, wearing what was commonly known as a steam armor with a furnace on the back for emitting steam. He had light brown eyes and his red armor extended all the way to the bottom half of his face, covering it up. Underneath the armor, covering his face, he wore a white cloth which also covered both sides of his face and the top of his head. He also wore a red kasa over the white cloth which seemed to be composed of the same material as his armor. Over the armor, he also wore a bronze colored ring around his neck. This man was commonly known was Han, Joki no Jinchuriki- the jinchuriki of Gobi, the five-tails.

"Oh? I wasn't aware that the Tsuchikage himself would choose to come over here…" Orochimaru replied, glancing to his right.

"Tsuchikage-sama wanted an audience with the Hokage's son, Naruto Namikaze. You don't need to know anything further than that." This time it was Roshi, who had replied. Known as Yoton no Roshi throughout the Elemental Nations, this Iwagakure shinobi was the jinchuriki of Yonbi, the four-tails. Roshi was a shinobi in his mid-forties, but his power had never dwindled despite his age. He had red hair, moustache and beard which tapered off to a point. He wore a large headpiece consisting of a three-pointed crown-like ridge, bearing his Iwagakure forehead protector, a ring and a prominent black piece of armor running across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. How wore long sleeved magenta kimono shirt and pants, with mesh armor shirt and fitted black suit underneath, along with calf length sandals.

Despite portraying a tough appearance, he was slightly unnerved by his actions today. Roshi and him and essentially slaughtered the entire village, on the orders of their Tsuchikage. His hands were stained in blood, yet he could not bring himself to bring forth a shred of emotion for the fallen bodies.

"As you say, Roshi-san, Han-san…" Orochimaru replied vacantly. Turning his attention back to Shibuki, he was sure the man wouldn't last much longer. Yet seeing his feeble attempts was fascinating. He never did find any meaning in life, because it was after all limited. A miniscule moment in the cosmic scale of events. He had his eyes set on the prospect of immortality, where he could unroot the underlying secrets of chakra. Despite the concept of chakra existing among humans for the past millennia, no one had ever uncovered all it's secrets. Where did it originate from? What did it originate from? Were humans always born with chakra or did someone distribute chakra among the humans? As a scientist, he had an endless lists of questions, to which he had no answers.

He was brought out of his musings when he heard Shibuki move from his spot. It wouldn't hurt him to entertain the fool himself after watching Shibuki struggle for so long. As the two shinobi ran towards each at an impressive speed, they met halfway through with their elbows clashing against each other's. While the sannin hadn't put all his strength, he was surprised that Shibuki was able to match him. The two battled for dominance for a few seconds, but both seemed to be equally matched. However, Shibuki suddenly jumped up when he saw several snakes appear out of Orochimaru's sleeves towards him. Making several hand seals while in mid-air, he called out the name of his jutsu.

" **Suiton: Suigadan** " The water from the surrounding area rose to great heights to form a spinning drill which then proceeded towards the snake sannin at incredible speeds. In return, Orochimaru performed his own strings of hand seals, " **Doton: Doryou Heki** " An enormous mud wall rose up from the ground and the suiton jutsu fired by Shibuki crashed into the wall. As he landed on the ground, Shibuki picked up several shuriken from the ground and threw them towards the wall, once he coated them with futon chakra. As the shurikens burst through the walls, Shibuki punched the wall with great strength, making the debris fly over on the other side.

" **Futon: Daitoppa** " Orochimaru announced, as he blew a large wall of air from his mouth, thus making the debris fall all around him. Orochimaru was now momentarily surprised to see that Shibuki had already covered the distance between them and was now aiming for his neck, with a katana in his hand. The sannin expertly ducked below the swing and punched the Taki village leader in his abdomen, making him fly back. Shibuki finally came to an abrupt halt as his body hit a wall behind him, cracking it slightly. He was given no time to recover, as he saw Orochimaru was now a feet away from him. Quickly getting back on his feet, Shibuki swatted away the punch aimed for his jugular and went for a punch of his own at Orochimaru's neck. His eyes widened greatly, when he saw the sannin's neck elongate to great lengths, thereby dodging his punch. It was simply unnatural as per Shibuki.

Not willing to lose any momentum, Shibuki then feinted a hand seal with his right hand, which caught the sannin off guard. Catching on to that moment, Shibuki planted a firm punch on Orochimaru's abdomen and sent him soaring all the way back.

"Ohhh…" groaned Orochimaru as he got up from the all the rubble beside him. That did hurt a little. But, this fight was turning out to be an interesting experiment for him. It was his first time fighting a shinobi who had consumed the Eiyu no Mizu. If a small vial of that liquid could give a shinobi such power, he couldn't even imagine the power this liquid would give a shinobi, if he could manage separate the side effects from it and make it sustainable for longer periods.

Shibuki wasn't surprised when he saw Orochimaru get up from under all that debris of rocks as if nothing had happened. But he realized that his body was beginning to get a little stiff.

'Just a little while longer... I can't give up yet.' He thought desperately.

"Why do you fight Shibuki? You must have realized by now that you have no chance of winning against me." Orochimaru stated as he dusted his clothes.

"A person like you wouldn't understand what I fight for. My village had never interfered in the great village's business or took any action that may appear to be unreasonable to anyone. Yet, we were targeted by Iwagakure. What did we do to deserve this?" yelled Shibuki in frustration. Orochimaru gave no outward reaction to that outburst, nor did he have any pity for the shinobi.

"Are you stalling for the Konoha shinobi to come and rescue you? Is that what you're doing? Surely you must have thought, we would be prepared if such a situation presented itself. In fact, allow me let you in on a little secret…" said an amused Orochimaru. Meanwhile, Shibuki had a morbid feeling develop in him as he heard Orochimaru's words.

"We were counting on you to approach Konoha for assistance. Our main objective was to lure out the Konoha shinobi. And I'm also sure of who the Hokage is going to send for your assistance. I must thank you for making go everything according to plan… Shibuki-sama." Orochimaru stated the last part with a mock bow. Shibuki took a step back in fear as he realized what he had done. His mind went through a frenzy of thoughts as he understood why the enemy was taking their time. Initially it did seem odd to him that only three people had come to attack the village. But now that he looked at everything that had transpired in the last three hours, it all made sense to him. Attacking the village in small numbers at first that gave the village a false sense of hope that with a little extra help the enemy could be defeated. And once the request for help had been sent, more attackers joined in, killing off anyone who could send a word out.

It was this momentary lapse of concentration that also costed Shibuki greatly. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. As he looked down, his eyes widened in fear when he saw a katana sticking out of his chest. Looking in front of him, the Orochimaru standing there dissolved into mud as he realized what had happened.

"Bu... but when?" whispered Shibuki as spat out some blood.

"That's not important now, is it?" asked Orochimaru rhetorically, as he took his katana out of Shibuki's chest. A few seconds later, Shibuki fell on the ground as it became unbearable for him to stand. Tears fell from his eyes like a dam as he realized this was the end for Takigakure. His simple dream of living a peaceful life among those he cherished seemed like eons away. Slowly looking at the cruel reality all around himself, there was only one thought going through his mind.

'Someone… anyone… please help.' Seeing as Shibuki would fall unconscious any moment, without any further, Orochimaru walked back towards Han and Roshi. Team Ro-Han would be arriving at Takigakure very soon now and he couldn't wait to meet the young Namikaze about whom he had heard so much about.

* * *

 _South of Takigakure_

"How much further are we from Takigakure, Inu?" asked Washi urgently.

"Not much. A little less than five miles. Why do you ask?" Kakashi questioned as he kept checking the ground below, in front of him.

"We need to hurry. I can sense only a few chakra signatures standing inside the village. I can't say for certain what may have happened, but something doesn't feel right to me." Stated Naruto worriedly. He had a real bad feeling developing in his gut. The chakra signatures he felt were nothing to scoff at. All of them were extremely powerful and he was certain there were also two jinchuriki amidst them.

Kakashi deeply trusted Naruto and the blonde's instinct as a ninja hardly ever proved to be wrong. Calling out to the other members of the team, he relayed the message to them via hand signals. Once the message was clear to everyone, Sai commanded the bird to fly even faster.

About twenty minutes later, team Ro-Han had finally reached the outskirts of the village. They landed on the eastern side of the village and as they neared the entrance, their eyes could not believe the scene that was before them.

In simple words, it was pure slaughter. Even outside the entrance of the village, the sheer number of dead shinobis that lay about was disturbing. While Kakashi, Mikasa and Itachi were no stranger to such sights, Naruto and even Sai were having a tad bit more difficult time to comprehend the events that may have transpired to lead to this result. There were at least more than a hundred shinobi lying dead just outside the village entrance and judging from their state, they were killed a couple of hours ago.

"This is serious Inu-taicho." Mikasa commented blankly.

"I realize that. Judging from the number of bodies here, we should expect a lot more inside. Even though Takigakure wasn't as strong as a great village, their military strength wasn't so weak either. They had some exceptional shinobi too." Kakashi replied, as he walked past a shinobi who had a large hole in his chest.

"I can feel the chakra signatures coming from the center of village." Spoke Naruto. His anger was rising with every passing second. He could still sense some of the shinobi who were barely clinging on to their life. " **This is a cruel reality which you must accept Naruto. War and death have been the two the constants in the human history.** " Kurama stated upon viewing the hundreds of dead shinobi. As the group walked passed the entrance of the village, all of them took to the tree tops as the stench of blood had become even stronger. As far as their eyes could see, the only image their brain registered was that of a dead shinobi. While most of them had the Takigakure forehead protector, some had the symbol of Iwagakure on theirs.

"Hokage-sama and Shikaku-san were correct in their assumptions after all. It was the work of Iwagakure no Sato." Sai replied flatly as his eyes scanned his surroundings for any sort of movement. The only one who hadn't uttered anything until now was Itachi.

Without any shred of emotion visible on his face, Itachi simply looked around the village. Observing everything his sharingan took notice of. One could call the eyes of an Uchiha a curse, since those never forget anything they see. The battlefield in front of him reminded him of the very first time he had seen the Third Shinobi War, at a young age of five. That was also the first time, he had taken another's life. The group travelled a little deeper into the village where most of the buildings were destroyed and came across an even horrific scene.

Every member of the group had their chakra suppressed to their bare minimum to have even a slight chance of surprise against the enemy and more importantly to assess the area a little more. As they neared an area, which Kakashi assumed was the market district of the village, he held his hand up and immediately everyone stopped behind him.

Naruto and Itachi moved beside their team captain. It was the young Namikaze who let out an inaudible gasp at the scene before him. The entire area was filled with water indicating signs of suiton jutsu, but the strange aspect was the red color of the water. Almost all the buildings were destroyed badly and there were rubbles lying across with dead bodies of countless shinobi floating about.

Naruto suddenly narrowed his eyes when he felt the five chakra signatures move towards their location. "Inu-taicho, they know we're here. There's no point in hiding anymore." Naruto said, placing his hand on the hilt of his chokuto. A few seconds later, team Ro-Han jumped down onto the ground as their enemy came into view.

"We have been expecting you… Kakashi, Mikasa, Itachi… and Naruto-kun!" Orochimaru said gleefully. Everything had gone perfectly as he'd expected until now and he would make sure to get his prize by the end of the day.

"Orochimaru… how low have you fallen to work with Iwagakure shinobi of all people." Kakashi replied, not even concerned by the fact that Orochimaru knew all their identities.

"We are shinobi, Kakashi. We all have our own motives. It just so happens that my interests align with that of Iwagakure currently. But, I must say, I expected you all to reach a lot quicker. You missed all the fun." Said the snake sannin pointing both his arms towards the dead shinobi lying around. Naruto took a step forward in anger on seeing the blatant disrespect the man showed but stopped when Itachi placed a hand before him, blocking his path.

"So, that's the Kyubi jinchuriki, huh?" Roshi said keenly. He could feel the strong power within the boy and honestly, he did not wish to fight another child today.

"He's strong, Roshi. You feel it don't you?" asked Han with a serious face. Out of all the Konoha shinobi, he felt most weary of the blond kid. He could not really reason why, since the Kyubi jinchuriki was only a kid and from the information given to him, had never utilized bijuu chakra.

Orochimaru chuckled on seeing the reaction from the young lad. "Quite the impatient one, aren't you, Naruto-kun? Or should I say Kuro Shi?" Naruto took a deep breath and composed himself as he looked at the situation analytically. They were facing two jinchurikis and a Sannin. He still felt two more chakra signatures, a little further away but couldn't say who it was. But, those two people had terrifyingly strong chakra. He couldn't let his emotions get in the way.

"Consider yourself to be a dead man walking Orochimaru. Today's the last day you take a breath amongst the living." Replied Naruto coldly.

"Those are some big words, Naruto-kun. Are you sure you'll be able to back them up?" Orochimaru replied with a smirk as he stretched his arms to loosen them up.

"Calm down Naruto. Keep your focus." Kakashi intervened as he stepped forward. "Itachi and Naruto will go after Roshi and Han, while Mikasa, Sai and I will go after Orochimaru. And Remember the mission at hand. Our primary objective is not to kill the people before us." However, before any of them could make a move, Orochimaru quickly placed both his palms together.

The very next second, two more people landed before them, that made most of members of team Ro-Han take a step back in fear.

"Impossible…" said both Mikasa and Sai, barely audible to the others.

"You perfected even _that_ jutsu?" Kakashi commented in disbelief. Minato sensei had told him about the experiments Orochimaru was working on before he deserted the Leaf. But, to think the Sannin would pull this move here… he wouldn't have thought about it in his wildest dreams.

"Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage. What jutsu is this, Inu-taicho?" Itachi asked curiously. Both the kages had died during the previous war and he wasn't aware of any jutsu that could revive the dead.

"It was a kinjutsu developed by Nidaime Hokage himself, called the Edo Tensei. It's used to revive the dead using human sacrifices." Kakashi replied as he steadied himself. The situation just became a whole lot worse that previously assumed. Their team could have probably handled the two Iwa jinchuriki and forced Orochimaru to retreat but facing two re-animated kages was simply suicide. Now that he thought about it, it all makes sense as to how the entire Takigakure no Sato was annihilated so easily.

"Are you aware of any weaknesses about this jutsu?" questioned Itachi.

"I'm afraid, I don't have much knowledge regarding this kinjutsu. I did not think that Orochimaru would be able to actually master this jutsu." Kakashi replied frankly. Itachi nodded and turned towards the two kages again. Every jutsu had a weakness, he just had to be calm and keep trying until he found one.

Naruto took in every word of what Kakashi had said and understood the situation at hand. Looking towards Itachi, both nodded at each other. It was time. None of them had ever fought anyone to their extent in quite a few years. It was time Iwagakure realized why Konoha was feared as the strongest among all the villages.

The two Uchihas stepped forward and it was Itachi who spoke first. "Inu-taicho. Naruto and I will take care of the Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage. Whatever plans we had come up with up to this point will most likely fail. I'm sure you can tell that yeah?" Seeing the two of them, Kakashi calmed himself. This wasn't the time for him to cower behind his juniors.

"Itachi, Naruto… you guys better not die today. I won't forgive any of you, if you do!" Mikasa exclaimed, stepping beside them and giving the two a rare smile. Sai felt a strange sensation form within himself as he saw the members of his team. While in Root, he was rigorously taught not to care about anything or anyone other the mission. But, the more time he had spent with these people, the more felt himself changing. Talking to Naruto often reminded him of his brother, who too had a strong will like the young Namikaze.

Without any further talks, Naruto and Itachi ran towards the two reanimated Kages, while Kakashi, Mikasa and Sai focused their attention on Han, Roshi and Orochimaru. They all knew, their chances of victory were slim and some of them may very well die in today's fight, but they had already made peace with that.

* * *

 _Naruto and Itachi vs Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage_

Naruto and Itachi now stood opposite to the two kages, who stared back at the two Konoha shinobi blankly. Both the Uchihas had already removed their masks by now, since there wasn't any point in wearing them anymore as the enemy was already aware of their identities.

Weaving through hand seals quickly, Naruto and Itachi called out the names of their jutsu simultaneously.

" **Fuuton: Renkuudan** " Naruto said, inhaling large amounts of air and then expelling consecutive spherical wind projectiles.

" **Katon: Karyuu Endan** " Itachi said, exhaling a stream of fire in the shape of a large dragon from his mouth. As the fuuton and katon jutsu combined with each other, the intensity of the flames became even stronger as it proceeded towards their opponent. The heat radiating from the jutsu was so high that Orochimaru had to jump back quite a distance to protect himself from any exterior burns.

Tobirama Senju stepped forward and performed a single hand seal. " **Suiton: Suijinheki** " The Nidaime Hokage then proceeded to blow out a jet of water from his mouth and formed a barrier around them to act as a barrier against the incoming attack. Naruto and Itachi were shocked that the Nidaime performed such a high level jutsu with only a single hand seal. That just showed the level of mastery the man had over the water element. As the two jutsus collided, there was a large explosion as the entire are became covered with mist. Since both Naruto and Itachi had their sharingan active, they could handle themselves relatively well, but the density of fog hindered even their vision to some extent.

From the corner of his eyes, Naruto spotted a movement beside Itachi, and immediately pushed him away. A second later Naruto found himself on the receiving end of a punch from the Sandaime Raikage who seemed to have teleported behind them. Naruto swiftly flew back in between all the rubbles and hit the wall harshly.

On seeing that, Itachi promptly moved towards the Raikage to intercept him. As the two shinobi partook in a taijutsu battle, Itachi found it exceedingly difficult to keep up with the bulky Raikage. Itachi's eyes then morphed into the mangekyo sharingan as it became slightly easier to cope up. As A aimed a punch to Itachi's left side, he blocked it with his arm but cringed a little at the strength behind it. Reacting quickly again, Itachi bent down to sweep the Raikage from the ground, who jumped high up in the air and formed a fist with four fingers sticking out.

" **Jigokuzuki: Yonhon Nukite** " The Sandaime Raikage said as he concentrated high amount of raiton chakra into his fist. With four fingers extended, he came falling towards Itachi who was highly alarmed. As the Raikage came close to Itachi, there was a huge explosion as his fingers were being blocked by a red skeletal figure. Itachi stood inside his Susanoo, panting slightly as he felt his body become a little sore. It was times like these that Itachi was grateful that Naruto had the rinnegan. With the rinnegan abilities, Naruto frequently eased off Itachi's pain, whenever his eyesight would feel bad or his body acted up in pain. However, Itachi could not afford to lose his focus as the Raikage had now switched to three fingers. Itachi exerted more chakra into his Susanoo to make it more durable but his eyes widened even further when the Raikage switched to one finger. Tearing through Itachi's Susanoo, the Sandaime Raikage stabbed Itachi in his chest, just above his heart. Coughing up blood, Itachi somehow still stood his ground as he stopped his Susanoo from wavering.

As Naruto got up after being thrown towards the wall, he noticed that Orochimaru was simply standing back and observing the fights with an amused expression on his face. He was however, brought out his thoughts when the Nidaime Hokage landed before him.

"So, I guess, I'll have to fight you huh?" Naruto replied, as his own sharingan morphed into the mangekyo sharingan and his rinnegan glowed bright silver. Making raiton chakra circulate through his body for quicker responses, he quickly moved towards the Senju with his chokuto drawn. His chokuto met with the Second Hokage's kunai with a resounding sound. The two battled for supremacy for a good minute when Naruto smirked upon getting an idea. Loosening his grip on the chokuto, he slipped under the Nidaime Hokage and aimed a punch on the man's back with his fist coated with chakra. However, Naruto was surprised when Tobirama jumped up and landed a little back, dodging his punch. Not wasting any time, Naruto once again rushed towards deceased Hokage with much more speed than before. Before Tobirama could even react, Naruto thrusted his hand towards the kage's shoulder which had a swirling ball of chakra.

" **Rasengan** " Naruto said as he planted his hand on Tobirama's right shoulder, making the Hokage stumble back quite a bit. Now, any normal shinobi would have died from that impact. But, as Naruto jumped back after a few minutes, he noticed a peculiar thing. The upper right torso of the Senju which was blown away from his Rasengan, was now repairing itself slowly. Initially, he was slightly surprised when the man did not even attempt to dodge that blow.

'That is not a healing ability, since he is already dead. It must be an effect of the Edo Tensei jutsu. This is going to be more difficult than I thought…' Naruto thought irritatingly. To his left, he could see that Itachi was having a hard time on keeping up with the Raikage. With a large body and superhuman strength and reflexes, the Sandaime Raikage was clearly a bad match for the elder Uchiha Clan heir. However, his heart began racing faster when he saw the Raikage stab Itachi just in the chest. Extending both his arms swiftly, one aiming for the Nidaime Hokage and the other for the Sandaime Raikage, Naruto called out to Itachi urgently.

"Itachi, do it now!" yelled Naruto. Manipulating the gravity around the two kages, Naruto pulled the kage towards each other with tremendous force. Tobirama and A tried moving their body, but it was to no avail. As the two kages neared each other, through sheer willpower Itachi's Susanoo developed further as it's color now changed to slightly orange. The skeletal head now was now framed by locks of hair, with an appendage on it's chin reminiscent of a Pharaoh's false beard. The Susanoo's body also gained an armor and resembled a long-nosed tengu ethereal warrior that wore a pair of magatama earrings.

" **Yasaka no Magatama** " Three magatama bound together by a single, circular thread that were created between Itachi's susanoo's hands were then propelled towards Tobirama and A. As the jutsu collided with the two shinobi, the entire area rocked with a great force as everyone had to stick to the ground unless being risked flung away. As the smoke began to clear out a little, Naruto was satisfied when there wasn't anything left of the two shinobi. However, his face soon turned to frown when slowly but surely their body began piecing itself together. Moving quickly, Naruto formed several black rods from his right hand and appeared behind the two kages and implanted four black rods into each of them before they could react. The black rods inserted by Naruto had his own chakra inside of them and by injecting the black rods in the chakra points, Naruto interfered with their chakra system. Thus, rooting them in their place and disabling their movements

"This would stop them from moving around anymore. Itachi you should seal them with your…" Naruto said taking breaths as he turned to look at Itachi. But his face lost all color when he saw his friend knelt on the ground with heavy breaths and by the looks of it, he would fall unconscious any moment. However, what scared him most was the fact that Orochimaru was now just a few feet behind Itachi with his katana drawn out and the fact that Roshi was now standing surrounded by his jinchuriki cloak.

'I'm not going to make there in time. God dammit!' Naruto thought urgently. With every passing second, his heart was racing faster as he realized, his friend was going to die.

 _With Kakashi, Mikasa and Sai against Han, Roshi_

Kakashi, Mikasa and Sai were having a relatively harder time compared to Naruto and Itachi. One would expect a shinobi's strength to dwindle slightly from their prime age when they passed their forties. This was especially true when it came to shinobi. However, Han and Roshi were pure monsters when it came to taijutsu and Orochimaru wasn't making it any easier for them.

While Kakashi and Mikasa weren't severely injured that was not the case with Sai. Since Sai primarily utilized ink based ninjutsu, against Roshi's yoton based attack and Han's steam-based attack, his ninjutsu was not much useful.

" **Kage Bunshin no jutsu** " Kakashi said as he formed a single clone. The clone's and Kakashi's hands began sparkling with electricity and then joined together to form a rope of sorts, made with continuous stream of electricity. The clone and Kakashi then ran towards Roshi with high speed, cutting through all the lava covered rocks in the process. As the clone and Kakashi neared Roshi, a large red tail, appeared from Roshi's back as he attempted to swat Kakashi and his clone away. However, he howled in pain, when Mikasa suddenly jumped in front of Kakashi and cut through the tail cleanly, with her chokuto that was covered in raiton chakra. Roshi's momentary lapse of concentration costed him greatly, Kakashi and his clone ran the stream of electricity straight through Roshi, hoping to slice him in half. But, both Mikasa and Kakashi suddenly jumped away when there was an explosion of chakra from the four tails jinchuriki.

Kakashi had to avert his eyes when he saw Sai fly past him, courtesy of Han, who had punched the younger kid with great strength, right in his abdomen. Flipping in mid-air, Sai firmly landed on the ground with heavy breaths. He decided to avoid getting in close quarters with the five tails jinchuriki. He learned it the hard way that the steam release could augment Han's strength by multiple times.

Both Kakashi and Mikasa once again jumped back and regrouped with Sai as now both the Iwagakure jinchuriki stood before them covered in their bijuu chakra. They had to quickly dodge again as both the jinchuriki's tails extended and chased after them. Kakashi used his Raikiri to stab one of the tails, while Mikasa and Sai stabbed the tails chasing them with their chokuto, thereby stopping their movements. However, it was only momentary as the strength of the bijuu chakra broke the swords and hit both Mikasa and Sai, making them hit the ground roughly. They groaned in pain as the corrosive bijuu touched their skin, burning it to some extent. Seeing the two of them, Kakashi appeared before them quickly and with swift feet tore through all the chakra tails with his Raikiri. However, Mikasa could see that even Kakashi was running on fumes now. Having utilized the sharingan for so long was taking a toll on Kakashi's body and his chakra reserves.

"Usagi-senpai, we are not going to last much longer, if this keeps up. I'm almost out of chakra and I won't be able to fight for much longer." Sai said honestly as he panted. He cursed himself for not delving into ninjutsu more. In Root, Danzo had made the higher ranked shinobi train him only in kenjutsu, ink-based ninjutsu and taijutsu. While he was an adequately good shinobi, fighting a jinchuriki who had complete control over his bijuu was not something he had imagined in his life.

"Sai, while we keep these two busy, go look for Shibuki, Senji and Fu. You know their general description, right? We can't afford to stay here much longer. Take them away from here if they are still alive or else seal their bodies in a stasis scroll. We'll retreat after that. Understood?" Kakashi ordered seriously. Everyone's attention immediately turned to the other fight when they felt the entire area shook. Turning to their right, they noticed that both the kages were momentarily immobilized with Naruto implanting them with his black chakra rods. However, it was Mikasa who had noticed Orochimaru eying the fallen Uchiha and make a run for him with his katana drawn.

Without giving it any further thought, she paced herself as fast as she could and moved towards Itachi. As Orochimaru was now at arm's length behind Itachi, he thrusted his kusangai forward and stopped in his tracks when his sword pierced the straight through the chest. However, he frowned on noticing it was Mikasa who's chest he had pierced, instead of Itachi.

" **Amaterasu** " Naruto said, as the black flames caught on to Orochimaru's arm holding the katana which forced him to jump back in pain. Running towards Mikasa and Itachi, Naruto caught the kunoichi in his arms before she hit the ground.

"MIKASA! MIKASA! Hey! Don't close your eyes. I'm here." Cried Naruto as he quickly removed the sword from her chest. A look of horror formed on his face on seeing that the sword had pierced right through her heart. More tears slipped from his eyes, as he felt her body go limp. Glancing towards Itachi for a second, Naruto noticed that he had already fallen unconscious, but he was still alive. Focusing his attention back on Mikasa, he placed her body on the ground, and put both his hands on her wound and attempted to heal her. Two minutes passed, but he could not sense her life force getting any better.

"I… it's f…fi...fine Naruto. I'm ju…just glad that Itachi is sa…safe…" Mikasa gently whispered as Naruto saw a serene and calm look appear on her face.

"Hey, don't speak. Save your strength. I'm going to save you, okay?" replied Naruto in between sobs. More worry laced on to him, as he couldn't feel any pulse from her. As a few more seconds passed, he closed his eyes shut as he now knew, she was dead.

"That bitch… Why couldn't you stay put in your damn place." Orochimaru yelled in frustration as he shed his skin. But, before his eyes could even follow or react, he felt his body get pierced by several black rods as he fell onto the ground. Looking front, he saw Naruto's left arm was pointed straight at him. Naruto slowly stood up from his spot with his eyes still shut.

All he could feel around himself was hatred and death. Even to this day, he could not understand why shinobis fought, why they killed each other needlessly, why couldn't they just accept the differences the different nations had so that there would no more needless wars and death. His chakra spiked to dangerous levels, as a strong gust of wind started circling him. Even Kurama was tensed when he felt Naruto's emotions and line of thoughts. Large amounts of rubbles were pushed back by the force of his chakra as he felt the hatred inside of him grow deeper and the desire within him to kill grow stronger. Kakashi and Sai wanted to go towards their teammate, but the force of Naruto's chakra was so strong that they could barely move an inch.

For the first time in years, Orochimaru felt the sensation of fear. He wanted to run, but these damn rods prevented him from any movement. His eyes again shifted towards the Namikaze and it was this point that he had a clear view of the rinnegan. Those accursed eyes. Even Han and Roshi found it difficult to move and moreover, their own bijuu were yelling in their mind to run away from here as quickly possible. He saw the blond place his palms together and mold considerably large amount of chakra.

" **Chibaku Tensei** " Naruto muttered hypnotically under his breath and formed a black sphere in his hands, the size of ball. The black sphere levitated in the air and flew high up before it came to a stop. The ground beneath everyone suddenly began shaking violently, as it began tearing up and rose into the air to stick around the black sphere. Han, Roshi and Orochimaru began panicking greatly when they felt themselves also getting pulled along with the large pieces of rocks. Kakashi and Sai couldn't believe that it was Naruto who was doing this. They both knew that the young Namikaze was ridiculously strong, but what they were seeing was simply unreal.

'I need to get out of here. That thing looks bad.' Orochimaru thought with sweat dripping from his face. Seeing that he could at least move his hand, he drew some blood from his hand and placed in on the ground. He immediately disappeared from the area, leaving no trace of himself ever being in Takigakure no Sato. Naruto realized that Orochimaru probably used reverse summoning jutsu to get himself out of this situation, but he did not care about. His time would come.

"There's no further need to resist." Naruto stated with no emotion in his voice. Kakashi and Sai breathed a sigh of relief when they realized that they weren't being pulled towards that black sphere. Both jumped back, away from the area to catch their breath. They were pretty much out of chakra and fighting the two jinchuriki had taken a lot out of their stamina. However, Kakashi had become highly concerned about Naruto upon hearing him speak.

More bijuu chakra began covering Han and Roshi as they tried to free themselves from the intense gravitational pull, but none of it gave any results. Soon enough, the two were stuck under the pieces of rocks that broke from the ground and stuck to the black sphere. Naruto simply looked on as he saw the two jinchuriki thrash around wildly. He did not feel content on defeating the enemy, he did not feel sad on seeing his friend die… he just did not feel anything at all right now. A few seconds later, the jutsu seemed to be complete, as now there was a large spherical rock, something akin to a meteor, levitating in the air with both the Iwagakure jinchuriki trapped inside.

Looking to his right, he saw that the Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage were still rooted to their place. He was about to move towards them when he saw the two of them disappear in a cloud of smoke.

'He must have summoned them back too…' Naruto thought vacantly. He turned around with a blank look on his face, as he heard Kakashi and Sai walk towards him. From the looks of it, both appeared to be extremely battered and beaten up.

"Naruto…" Kakashi called out to him with his head hung low. Yet again, he lost someone in his team and yet again he felt that emptiness inside of him.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: I really do hope the fight scenes were good enough. Now, some may question the strength of Nidaime Hokage and Sandaime Raikage in this chapter, but do keep in mind that this is the first time Orochimaru has used the Edo Tensei and it's no where near perfect and he hadn't revived them close to their full power. This was the first time Naruto has witnessed someone close to him die and it is going to have an effect on him. For better or for worse, only time will tell. The next chapter will be the conclusion of this arc where Ohnoki comes face to face with Naruto. I can't really say how Naruto is going to react when he confronts Ohnoki but there will be a lot of tension between the two which may escalate further. Now, Naruto hasn't killed Han or Roshi as of yet. He just immobilized them.**_

 ** _A lot of you guys may wonder about Naruto's rinnegan or as to why he is not using more abilities. To put it simply, he doesn't really know all the abilities yet. The gravity manipulation and forming black chakra rods are pretty much the only abilities of rinnegan which Naruto can use as of this moment. As he grows up, and in his future battles, he will get a better understanding of his rinnegan._**

 ** _Another matter which I wanted to point out is that, I'm looking for a beta reader. It would be a tremendous help to me if someone is willing to help me out!_**

 ** _Please do follow, favorite and review the story! Looking forward to the reviews!_**

 **Until next time!**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The Fall of Takigakure (Part 3)**

* * *

Naruto gingerly stared at the ground as an uneasy silence reigned around the members of team Ro-Han. He didn't know what to do as the image of Mikasa getting stabbed by that sword kept flashing before his eyes. He could hear Kakashi call out to him and he wanted to respond but could not find it in himself to speak. He shut his eyes closed in desperation, in an effort to make the images of Mikasa's death stop. Alas, even the darkness surrounding his eyes did not help.

He suddenly looked up as he felt Kakashi shake him by the shoulders and the team Ro-Han's captain saw an ocean of sadness dwelling in those eyes. Even though as shinobi they were prepared to handle death, the reality always finds its way to clutch on to the cruelest path. Naruto's gaze then shifted towards Sai who just landed beside them with a young girl on his shoulder. He placed her on the ground and Naruto realized that the girl was Fu, the Nanabi jinchuriki. The blond could still feel her life force and was relatively content that at least she was alive. His eye widened at that thought as he turned back at once and moved towards Itachi. Considering Itachi's deteriorating health and the wound received by the Sandaime Hokage, Itachi was immensely lucky to be alive. Still, Naruto flinched a little on seeing the large stab wound on his shoulder.

Closing his eyes, he calmed his breathing and allowed the nature energy to flow into himself. Naruto had never tried healing someone through senjutsu chakra before and to him, this was still a concept. When he gathered senjutsu chakra within himself, he balanced that amount with his own spiritual and physical energy, so none would overpower the other. So, if he focused on the yang half of the nature energy and focused it within Itachi while also balancing the nature chakra with Itachi's spiritual and physical energy, he should be able to heal Itachi in not time at all. At least, theoretically. Nature energy generally contained a lot of life force and healing properties that should do the trick. Naruto then placed the palms of his hand atop Itachi's wound as a soothing green colored chakra surrounded his hands. A bit of sweat formed on Naruto's face as he concentrated and a few minutes later, he stopped once he noticed that the wound that healed up quite well.

"How do you feel?" Naruto questioned, trying to sound as normal as he could. Itachi gradually opened his eyes to see the worried faces of Kakashi and Sai standing beside Naruto. He grazed his hand over his wound and was surprised to feel that the hole in his shoulder had been healed. He was certain he was going to die, but still sighed in relief. He turned towards the young blond with a small smile on his face but stopped when he noticed Naruto's expression.

"Where's Mikasa?" Itachi asked immediately. Upon seeing the look of despair on Kakashi's face, Itachi knew something was amiss. "How did it happen?" Kakashi and Naruto remained quiet, unable to recall the painful event again.

"While you were down, Orochimaru was about to kill you when Usagi-senpai placed herself in front of you and got stabbed through her heart in the process." Sai gave a brief detail. Yet again, everyone fell silent. Mikasa was an excellent shinobi and more so, a wonderful person, whom Itachi was glad to have known. He would be eternally grateful to her for such an action and Itachi knew that she wouldn't want her team to fall astray without her.

"Get yourself together, Naruto. This is no time to be mopping around." Itachi stated firmly, as he got up. Naruto stared at the Uchiha with shock in his eyes. "She died a proud shinobi of Konoha and that too while fighting the village's enemy."

"But, who will remember her, Itachi? We are Anbu! Her death won't be mourned in the village! There won't be a burial for her! She fought for the village for over two decades in the shadows, without any fame or glory…" Naruto began ranting in his anger but stopped when he heard Itachi's next words.

"That is what it means to be a shinobi. A true ninja is one who fights and dies in the shadows. We don't seek fame, nor do we seek attention. Our path is one filled struggles. But, we endure. We do it so that the innocents can have a life of peace." Itachi stated softly lowering his gaze to where Mikasa lay. Everyday, he struggled to deal with his guilt about his clan and everyday he endured it for the village. And he would continue to do so, until his last breath. Kakashi placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder as the blond turned to look towards his sensei.

"Don't let her death be in vain. She sacrificed herself, so that Itachi may live. Its true, at one point everyone dies. But, if you mean something to someone, help someone or love someone, if even a single person remembers you… then maybe you never really die at all." Kakashi then poked Naruto, just above his heart and leaned close to his ears. "She'll be right there… in your heart. Never forget what she meant to you." Kakashi whispered. Naruto nodded as tears slowly cascaded down his face and his turbulent mind became a little clam. He got up and wiped his face clean and looked up at the sky. Maybe, she was at a better place and at peace. It would still take a considerable time for him to get used to her absence, but he would try. Because, he may have done with same thing had it been him in Mikasa's place.

A few minutes later, Kakashi proceeded to burn Mikasa's body as per Anbu protocols and their team scattered to look for Senji and Shibuki. About fifteen minutes later once they had recovered the bodies, they were about to leave the place when they all heard another voice.

" **Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no jutsu** " Everyone looked up to see a white light hit against the large meteor floating above and disintegrate a part of it, allowing Han and Roshi's body to fall towards the sky. The two unconscious bodies fell on the ground unceremoniously, but Naruto was certain the two would survive nonetheless.

All the members of team Ro-Han narrowed their when they spotted a short, old man levitate high up in the air. "Tsuchikage." Kakashi stated, as he clenched his fists. They were further surprised on seeing an army of at least a hundred Iwagakure shinobi now marching towards their location. Naruto glared at the man levitating in the air. The person responsible for Mikasa's death. He clenched his fists in anger and once again he could feel the darkness rise within him. Telling him to destroy the thing that caused him pain, to erase it off the face of this world. And for a mere second, the nine tomoes in his rinnegan spun indolently as he savored in the thought of slaying them.

"Naruto, don't do anything stupid. We are not in a position to have a drawn-out fight." Kakashi said, guessing Naruto's intentions. Naruto nodded, keeping a blank face. But, the Tsuchikage shouldn't have come here. Wasn't the death of thousands of innocents enough? Did he have to come out himself, wishing for more death? His heart sank a little as he could truly see the world for what it was- a living hell. He looked towards his team and realized that none of them were in a position to fight, but that was not the case with him.

"You guys should leave, I will take care of things here." Replied Naruto, surprising the others with his calmness. "Don't be foolish, Naruto. All of us just got out of a big fight and we're all tired. Moreover, the Tsuchikage himself is here. The best option would be to retreat. We don't want to start an all-out war between two nations." Kakashi argued. If something happened to Naruto, he wouldn't be able to show his face in front of Minato-sensei. And he had very little doubt that Iwagakure would live to see another day, if something like that did happen.

"Kakashi is correct, Naruto. We have completed the mission that was assigned to us. There is no point for us stay here any longer. And you don't have to try doing everything by yourself." Itachi confessed. But their words simply fell on deaf ears as Naruto shook his head.

"This isn't about me. It's true none of you guys are in a state to fight but I'm still capable of stalling the enemy long enough for all of you to get far enough. I highly doubt he'd just let us leave. And, I just need to stall them until I know you guys have entered the borders of Hi no Kuni. The Tsuchikage wouldn't willingly enter the borders of Hi no Kuni to kill us. If it was an all-out war the Tsuchikage desired, he would have sneaked into Hi no Kuni and then advanced his troops towards Konoha." Naruto reasoned logically. Well, he was being partially truthful, but the other didn't need to know the entire truth. Naruto and Kakashi stared at each other for a good minute until the white haired Anbu sighed.

"We'll wait for you by the border of Hi no Kuni. Don't take too long, okay?" Itachi finally said. It would be pointless to get into an argument at this point. And, Naruto did have some valid points, but on some level, he wasn't too sure if Naruto's motives were purely for the good of the village or for revenge. Whatever the case, he was certain the blonde would make it back. Kakashi and Sai nodded too, but Naruto could still sense their reluctance. To everyone's surprise Sai stepped towards Naruto and placed his hand before him. Naruto stared at the pale-skinned boy for moment before shaking it and the nodded to each other. They did not speak much but understood each other on a fundamental level. Without further ado, rest of team Ro-Han turned around and quickly made their way out of Takigakure and towards the border.

Once, Naruto felt his team's chakra signature exit the village, he glanced towards the oncoming army of Iwa shinobi and the Tsuchikage who still levitated in the air. A smile appeared on his face, one that would send a cold shiver through anyone who glimpsed at it. If Iwagakure enjoyed dealing death to others so much, it would be only normal that he returned the courtesy to them. This would be his justice for Mikasa.

" **You can't fool me, Naruto…you know what you're going to do right? There's no coming back from this.** " Kurama warned within Naruto's mind. He could understand why Naruto wanted to do it alone. Even though Naruto had made his peace with the villagers viewing him as a monster, he just didn't want the people close to him to view him as such too. Because, this place would soon turn into a massacre. Even so, Kurama was a little concerned about Naruto. Having the innate ability to sense hatred in others, Kurama could clearly sense the darkness that was in Naruto's heart. He didn't wish for his friend to step into a plane from where he could not return morally. Then again, morality has always been a subjective term among the humanity. Whatever the case, he had sworn to stick by Naruto until the end and he would certainly keep his word.

'I know, Kurama. But this world becomes a more hellish place to live every passing day. All of this could have been avoided had the Tsuchikage chose to. Now, it's time the Tsuchikage learns the same pain the people of Takigakure went through… the same pain that I pain through.' Naruto replied to his oldest friend. This world has showed him nothing but pain and misery. The death of his mother, the massacre of the Uchiha Clan, Mikasa's death… he wasn't the one that was wrong, this world was what's wrong.

A few minutes later, Naruto steeled his nerves as he now stood across hundreds of Iwa shinobi and the Tsuchikage. His face turned blank as he sensed the hatred in the heart of all these people. All they desired for was war and the Tsuchikage was no exception. He was further disgusted when the Tsuchikage lowered himself on the ground and walked past Han and Roshi without sparing them a glance.

"You must have some nerves, boy. To be standing alone before us. Do you really think you can escape?" Ohnoki asked, rather proudly. The old man was surprised when instead of a reply, he saw the young boy laugh loudly. Naruto stopped laughing shortly and spoke two words which Ohnoki had once heard years ago.

"Let's dance…"

" **Katon: Gouka Mekkyaku** " Naruto said as he performed the horse hand seal. Converting the kneaded chakra inside his body into fire, Naruto breathed a large wall of fire from his mouth which covered a wide range. To the shinobi standing across, it appeared to be a literal sea of flames. Reacting quickly, several shinobi jumped in front of Ohnoki and performed hand seals in unison.

" **Doton: Doryuu Heki** " Several large mud walls suddenly rose from the ground as a protective barrier against the katon jutsu. But, to their surprise, the force of jutsu was so strong that the walls seemed to be cracking slightly. Meanwhile, Ohnoki rose high in the air once again, to get a better look at Naruto.

"This will be your end, Namikaze!" shouted Ohnoki, preparing his jutsu. " **Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no jutsu** " Ohnoki said ominously as his jutsu rushed towards the still standing Naruto. To his surprise, the blond simply raised one hand towards upward and his jutsu suddenly disappeared followed by him getting thrown back forcefully. Naruto then pointed both his hands towards the large wall which was protecting the Iwa shinobi. Focusing large amounts of chakra, a tremendous force of gravity broke through the wall, making all the Iwa shinobi fly back roughly along with large pieces of rock from their own jutsu hitting them in the process.

"Today, you shall experience what these people here felt, Tsuchikage!" Naruto said out loud, as he pointed all around himself. Picking up a random sword from the ground, Naruto adjusted his grip and ran straight towards the fallen Iwa shinobi who were groaning in pain. He had every intention to slaughter them and make them feel the pain.

However, he was stopped mid-way when Ohnoki landed before him. Encasing his right hand with rock, Ohnoki had now formed a large fist and then covered the distance to Naruto a lot faster than the normal eyes could follow. Naruto side stepped the punch aimed at him and blocked it with his left elbow. A small scream escaped his lips upon feeling the limpness in his arm and skidded back due to the force. He was sure he heard his bone crack but kept his cool. Ohnoki smirked when he made a single hand seal with his other hand. Before Naruto could make a move, he was suddenly pushed down on his knees to the ground as he felt his own body get immensely heavy. He cursed as he found himself unable to move.

'Is he altering the force of the wind around us? No, if that was the case, he'd under the same effects as me… Then again, its also possible that he's using the force of the air around my body to push me down.' Naruto thought quickly. Once again, Ohnoki aimed that giant fist covered with rocks at him, knowing this time the blonde had no way to dodge. As Ohnoki's arm came in striking distance of Naruto's face, the blonde's entire body got engulfed in dense chakra and a silver colored skeletal figure now surrounded Naruto. The skeletal figure was completely immersed in silver chakra and its eyes were completely black. But the terrifying part was the scythe that the figure was holding in his right hand.

" **Susanoo…** " whispered Naruto. He rarely ever used his Susanoo against anyone. And he had to give credit to Ohnoki to force him into using it. Enraged by Naruto's maneuver, Ohnoki exerted more chakra into his jutsu and lunged towards Naruto, but the susanoo did not budge at all. He suddenly found himself staring into that strange white eye of the boy and he was once again flung back through several rocks. His body finally hit the ground a few seconds later, and he was now sprouting several cuts all over his body as well as bleeding in several parts of his body.

"Tsuchikage-sama! You should stand back. Maybe, we can overwhelm him with numbers." Stated a shinobi beside him.

"Why do you fight? Why do you wish for death to befall upon the innocents?" Naruto asked, as he walked towards the group, still surrounded by his susanoo. Large number of Iwa shinobi were still down after taking the hit from Naruto's previous jutsu, but some of them willed themselves to stand up beside their kage.

"The people of Takigakure had done nothing against you. Konohagakure had done nothing against you. Yet, you had these people killed and are now advancing towards Hi no Kuni." Several enraged Iwa shinobi jumped at Naruto, but his susanoo swung the scythe and cut through all of them effortlessly in a single swing.

"It's futile to resist against me." Naruto stated with a blank face.

"Konoha has taken much more from Iwagakure than you can imagine. Minato Namikaze killed thousands of my shinobi mercilessly in the previous war and before him, it was your damn grandfather, Madara Uchiha who forced us to submit to Konoha's will. The hatred between our villages run far too deep, boy. It cannot be quenched by mere talks. This is how the shinobi world works. The strong devour the weak." Ohnoki sneered as he got up from the ground. To Naruto's surprise, the Tsuchikage truly believed what he was saying which angered him further.

"I see. Konoha extended the offer of friendship many times after the war ended. We wanted to look past the events of the war and hope for a better world. But, every time it was you who refused to partake in it. Have you forgotten about that shinobi sent to Konoha to assassinate me years ago? I suppose in a way my grandfather was correct. Peasants like you should indeed submit to Konoha's will." Naruto replied coldly as his susanoo developed even further, gaining an armor over the skeletal ribcage and a visor around its head which only showcased the susanoo's glowing black eyes.

"What the hell is that monster?" came several shouts from among the Iwa shinobi as they saw the ethereal figure around Naruto develop further. Most of them took a step back in fear and stumbled to the ground. This wasn't what they were expecting when they arrived here. Most couldn't even believe a kid could accomplish the feats they were witnessing. Ohnoki gained a look of defiance on his face as he quickly performed more hand seals.

" **Doton: Goremu no jutsu** " Ohnoki muttered as he created a large humanoid creature composed of the surrounding rock. The golem was about the same height as Naruto's susanoo. Naruto raised an eyebrow in fascination of the jutsu. Ohnoki rode atop his golem and with a war cry lunged towards the boy. Naruto's susanoo blocked the golem's two hands with his own and stopped it in its tracks. Ohnoki made another hand seal and several spiked pillars rose up from the ground aimed right at Naruto's Susanoo. To Ohnoki's surprise, two more hands grew from Susanoo's back carrying a scythe in each one and effortlessly cut through all the sharp pillars aimed at him. An irritated look appeared on Ohnoki's face as none of his attacks seemed to work on the boy.

"Now, let me show you my power, Tsuchikage." Naruto said as he closed his eyes. The scythe in one of the susanoo's arms disappeared and a large ball of dense chakra started forming in it. To everyone's surprise the sphere kept growing bigger until it was almost as big as the susanoo. Ohnoki's eyes widened in horror when the susanoo aimed the jutsu right at his shinobi and threw it.

" **Odama Rasengan** " whispered Naruto. The Iwa shinobi fired several of their own jutsu in retaliation, but the large Rasengan simply kept propelling towards them. Seeing that their jutsu had no effect, most of them began running to save themselves. However, about twenty shinobi were caught in its range when the jutsu hit the ground and caused a large explosion. Ohnoki had to quickly jump off from his golem as Naruto suddenly jumped at him with his hand sparkling with electricity. As Naruto's hand contacted the rock golem, the electricity caused the large golem to disintegrate into dust in a matter of few seconds. Not stopping there, Naruto made another hand seal and gazed at the disarrayed Iwa shinobi with his rinnegan.

" **Amaterasu** " And this time no one was spared. All the Iwa shinobi apart from the Tsuchikage was engulfed in the black flames. They cried and pleaded for the pain to stop. Some even tried suiton jutsu to quench the hot flames, but nothing helped. Eventually the shinobi succumbed to the intense pain and fell dead on the ground. Naruto then shifted his gaze towards the Tsuchikage, who had a look of pure terror on his face. Deciding to finish him off, Naruto began walking towards the defeated man but stopped suddenly when he heard his friend's sad voice.

" **Stop, Naruto… This is enough. There is no point in killing any further.** "

'But…' Naruto said. " **It's okay, Naruto. I know you're hurting. But, you must stop. Leave. Go home and rest. This isn't like you. Look around yourself. You have killed enough people.** " Kurama insisted and Naruto could almost sense his friend pleading. Kurama didn't wish for his friend to fall into the darkness and if Naruto continued what he was doing, he may very well. Naruto's hands limply fell beside him as Kurama's words hit him. He was so cloaked by his rage that he ended up doing the very thing he despised. He suddenly turned back and ran towards his team with a grief-stricken heart. He didn't know what had taken over him. All of these conflicting thoughts in his mind were driving him crazy and he just desperately wished to lie in the comfort of his bed.

As Naruto quickly made his way out of Takigakure, two men suddenly emerged out of thin air on the south-west walls of the village. One of them was a tall man with light blue-colored skin, a shark like appearance and a large sword wrapped in bandages strapped to his back. While the other one was slightly shorter white-haired man with red eyes.

"Man, that was some show huh… that kid's powers are unreal. Who would have thought he had the same visual prowess as Leader-sama. I'm itching to have a fight with him now." Stated the taller one with a mischievous glint in his eyes. As his gaze lingered at the destruction all over the village, he couldn't help but smirk at the hauntingly beautiful sight before him.

"Yes. This is certainly an interesting development, Kisame. Pain-sama hadn't told us about the Kyubi jinchuriki's abilities. Then again, having been trained under the guidance of Jiraiya, Kakashi and Minato, I shouldn't be surprised. The rinnegan and the mangekyo sharingan definitely make him a dangerous opponent to face in a battle." said the shorter person as his red eyes were firmly placed over the Sandaime Tsuchikage, who was on his knees with a defeated look on his face.

"Heh, I don't really care about all that. I suppose I should be glad that it was us who were tasked to hunt the Kyubi. Based on his age right now, his strength is only bound to grow in the years to come. Anyhow, I think we should get the two jinchurikis before the Tsuchikage gets wind of us, Hiruko." Kisame replied with a chuckle. His sword, Sameha wriggled on his back, when it had felt Naruto's chakra. The boy had outrageously strong and large amounts of chakra. It excited even him.

"Be that as it may, we can't be too careless. We'll need too eliminate quite a few people before we get to him. And I don't think taking down Jiraiya and Minato will be as easy as you think." Hiruko stated in his quiet voice. The Yondaime Hokage was currently regarded as the strongest shinobi in the world and even their leader was weary of him, choosing to keep the Kyubi for the end. An even more vicious smirk appeared on Kisame's face on thinking of that. The future would certainly unfold an interesting set of events. As the two cased the village from atop the walls, the two ran around to the back of the village on the north-east and jumped inside, moving closer to the two unconscious jinchuriki.

* * *

 _With team Ro-Han, four miles south of Takigakure and Hi no Kuni border_

Kakashi, Itachi and Sai rested under a tree as they waited for their teammate to return. Despite being healed of his wounds, Itachi still felt extremely depleted of stamina and chakra. The others were also in the same boat as the Uchiha. About an hour had passed since the group of three had left Takigakure and entered into the lands of Hi no Kuni.

"Are you still worried about him, Kakashi?" Itachi asked on seeing the worried look on his captain's face.

"I can't help it… He's always been so reckless and just jumps into fights without any thought. There is no denying that he's extremely strong but that overconfidence of his worries me." Kakashi replied tiredly. He clutched his left eye lightly, as his vision blurred a bit. It happened quite often, especially whenever he overused the sharingan.

"You still underestimate him. His eyes are the most powerful doujutsu that exists in this world. The mangekyo sharingan doesn't even compare to the full extent of the rinnegan's abilities. Moreover, Naruto doesn't realize it himself. I don't think Naruto has learned all he can do with the rinnegan. There's an old saying that the rinnegan is born in this world during times of great chaos and the bearer of those eyes would either bring untold destruction or an era of peace in the world." Itachi revealed. Kakashi and Sai were surprised on hearing those words. They both were aware of the fact that the last person to wield the rinnegan was the Sage of Six Paths, believed to be a myth by some even to this day.

"How od you know so much about the rinnegan?" It was Sai who raised the question and Itachi could sense the skepticism in the boy's voice.

"Not a lot of people are aware of this. No, it's better to say that the history has been forgotten over the course of time. But, the Senju and Uchiha Clan are both descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. I don't know all the details, but I read a few journals in the Uchiha Clan's library. It was the two sons of Rikudo Sennin that were the progenitor of the Uchiha and Senju Clan…" As Itachi continued his tale, Sai's eyes momentarily widened in disbelief as he understood a little of what Danzo was trying to do when he was still in Konoha. Danzo had been obsessed with the Shodai Hokage's cells and Shisui's eyes, both regarded as the strongest of their clan during their own time. There was even a time when some of the Root Anbu were sent to look for Madara Uchiha's corpse, but to Danzo's dismay it was nowhere to be found. Sai wondered if his former leader was trying to recreate the power of the Sage of Six Paths by mixing the two DNA but shook his head as that would be just absurd. The Rikudo Sennin existed over a thousand years ago and one couldn't just replicate his powers by such rudimentary methods. Sai composed himself soon enough, as he did not wish to reveal this knowledge as of yet. He would need to talk to Naruto first about the possibilities of Danzo's experiments before he revealed it to the higher ups. By the time Itachi was done recalling his knowledge about the Rikudo Sennin, Kakashi was floored with the fact that he barely knew any of what Itachi had narrated. He doubted anyone else knew this too.

"That's a lot to take in…" commented Kakashi. "But, I'm still worried how Mikasa's death is going to affect Naruto. He doesn't have many close friends and he is essentially an Uchiha…" Itachi clearly understood what Kakashi was insinuating and sighed. Naruto's life hasn't been normal up to this point. And considering everything the blonde has experienced, it wouldn't be wrong to think that Naruto may also fall to the Uchiha's curse of hatred. It made him wonder how his brother was doing. It had been some time since he spoke to Sasuke or trained with him. His life in Anbu had been so swamped, he barely got time for anything else.

"Maybe once Naruto's batch graduates from the academy, Naruto could be moved to one of the teams… You are planning to leave the Anbu anyway, right? You could take him in your team. Maybe that way he could experience some normalcy." Itachi suggested. Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at that suggestion. He hadn't really thought about it, but it did seem like good idea. The council were kind of hard pressing him into being the jounin sensei for Sasuke's team after the graduation.

"Hmm… that actually doesn't seem like a bad idea. What do you say, Sai?" Kakashi asked, stroking his chin. Sai became a little confused on being put at the spotlight. He didn't really know how to answer that question. He was saved the trouble, when everyone heard the sound of footsteps and turned behind to see Naruto approach. But, Kakashi and Itachi could clearly see the dead look in Naruto's eyes. Kakashi knew that look very well. Having been in the Anbu for almost a decade, he had done some missions that often left him hollow inside and it pained him to see Naruto in such a state.

"Let's go home…" Naruto said in a tired voice.

* * *

 _Few years later_

Two years had passed since the fall of Takigakure and a lot had changed in the Elemental Nations since then. The news that a single shinobi from Konoha had humiliated the Tsuchikage and hundreds of Iwagakure shinobi had spread like a wildfire across all the nations. Since then, Iwagakure had shut off any and all business with even Konoha's allies, namely Sunagakure no Sato. The Tsuchi no Kuni had become a hostile land for anyone travelling from Hi no Kuni or Kaze no Kuni. Moreover, the Tsuchikage had set a military camp in the ruins of Taki and Kusagakure, keeping a close watch on the movements of Konoha shinobi. To Minato's relief, Ohnoki had not made any attempt to retaliate against Konohagakure since his defeat two years ago but it also made him slightly suspicious. Even Jiraiya tried getting across the borders of Taki and Kusagakure, but the extremely heavy security had prevented him from doing so.

However, the toad sage was able to gather some useful information concerning Iwa and a group called Akatsuki which had recently became active. Han and Roshi, the jinchuriki of four and five tail had gone missing about two years ago and he believed Akatsuki to be behind that incident. The fact that Ohnoki had even hired Akatsuki for minor missions in Iwagakure and some it's surrounding lands, showed how dirty the Tsuchikage was willing to get his hands. It was either that or Ohnoki wasn't aware of that yet. Yet, what surprised him most was the fact that Akatsuki was entirely composed of S-Rank shinobis. But, he couldn't gather any relevant information regarding the group's hideout or their leader.

The civil war that was waged by Yagura in Mizu no Kuni had finally ended after years of turmoil and the resistance side that was led by a kunoichi named Mei Terumi had come out on top. A news such as the death of kage is a significant matter and as such the other nations had learned of this within a few days after the war ended. Being the person who led the resistance group to victory, Mei Terumi was unanimously chosen as the Godaime Mizukage. Even though Mizu no Kuni was under way to reconstruct the damaged parts of its land, Kirigakure had already opened the village for business with the other nations. The effect that the civil war had on the economy was on a large scale and a lot of the major clans in Kirigakure were greatly depleted of their resources. Despite all the hindrances, Kirigakure was finally stepping out the shadow of their bloody past.

The most consequential news surrounding in Konoha however, was the chatter of a shinobi who was said to be on par with the Yondaime Hokage. The name _Shiroi Shinigami_ was practically known by every shinobi and civilian within Konoha. Initially, it had come as a great shock to the civilian populace that the shinobi was none other than Naruto Namikaze, the son of their beloved Yondaime Hokage. Still, there was a small fraction of shinobi who feared Naruto's growing power so much that it scared them of the consequences if he ever decided to turn on the village. It wasn't out of the realms of possibilities considering his lineage.

* * *

Today was an important day in the village as a new batch of genins had graduated from the Konoha academy. The village had high expectations from this batch especially, since this was the first time in Konoha academy's history that a batch was given an extra two years of training. Some of the populace even considered this batch to be the strongest one since the end of third shinobi war, considering the number of clan heirs that were there. A surprise addition to this batch was Fu, who was now integrated into the village as a Konoha shinobi. However, unlike in Naruto's case, her status as the Nanabi jinchuriki was kept tight lipped.

Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura were currently making their way towards training ground seven from the academy, where they were asked to meet their sensei. Over the course of years, the three of them grown tremendously in strength along with their looks.

Hinata had grown her hair to waist-length and wore her Konoha headband across her forehead. Her attire consisted of light lavender, sleeveless kimono-style blouse with vertical lines, tied with a dark purple obi around her waist. She also wore a pair of short dark navy shorts with thigh-high stockings along with regular ninja sandals. Overall, her attire was noticeably more form-fitting and less conservative than what she wore during the academy. With all the taijutsu training she was put through, she had also grown to a good height of five feet and four inches.

Unlike Hinata, Sakura had chosen to keep her hair short and kept it neck length. She looked considerably fitter than before and some may even say among the most beautiful girls in Konoha, judging by her well proportioned figure. She wore a sleeveless red qipao dress that reached her upper thighs, with white trimmings and a white circular design on the back along with a black obi around her waist, similar to the Hyuga heiress. Her attire also consisted of black shorts underneath the dress along with grey elbow and knee protectors. She also wore regular shinobi sandals and had grown to a height of five feet and three inches.

However, the one who had changed the most was Sasuke Uchiha. Considered by most kunoichis as one of the most good-looking man, Sasuke had grown to a good height of five feet and six inches. Sasuke now wore a black high-collared shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol at the back along with simple light blue pants. He had bandages wrapped around his ankles and wore his shinobi headband over his forehead. Sasuke's hair had also grown longer as the left side of his face was partly covered by his bangs. He also carried a katana with him, in a black sheath, as he had started investing himself in kenjutsu, about three years ago.

"This is so exciting! We're finally shinobi!" Sakura squealed lightly, showing her excitement.

"…only genins though…" Sasuke commented idly. Still, he wouldn't say that he was any less excited than his pink-haired teammate. He wanted to surpass his brother as a shinobi and even _him._ He had grown considerably strong over the course of years, but still hadn't been able to mature his sharingan fully. For him to accomplish his goals, he had to get even stronger. And for that matter, he was willing to do anything possible.

"Sasuke-kun, give her some rest. The six long years of academy are finally over. We can go on real missions now, instead of the D-Ranks we were made to do during the sixth year." Hinata chipped in. She had a slight idea as to who their sensei would be, considering they had two doujutsu users in team seven. Then again, she could never be too sure. Anyhow, she couldn't wait to start doing missions. Maybe… maybe then _he_ would take notice of her. Her anger towards Naruto had subsided a lot in the last couple of years. Ever since she heard the news of his feats in the battle of Takigakure, she had been shocked yet more sad about it. It had been ages since she had laid eyes on him. She didn't even know how he looked now.

As the three finally reached training ground seven, they found a silver haired man to be sitting under the shade of a tree with a book in his hands. But, Hinata also noticed the long strands of blond hair that was partially covered by the taller person's body. Sasuke and Sakura were yet to notice the smaller guy as he was barely visible from their position.

"It couldn't be…" Hinata whispered with a startled look on her face. She could feel her heart flutter as she unknowingly moved quicker. And unseen by Sasuke or Sakura, her eyes became slightly moist when her gaze fell upon his serene sleeping form.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: Well, that concludes Naruto's Anbu arc. I must say that quite a long one, but from here on out, I'll assure the story will be more entertaining to read as it will involve the Naruto's friends (his batch mates essentially). The way Naruto has changed over these two years will be showcased in the coming chapters.**_ _ **Naruto and Hinata finally meet after about five years and it will be a touching re union. I don't want to essentially make Sakura a part of Naruto's love interest but the two will be really close friends. Sasuke will have a rivalry with Naruto and will become a brotherly figure to him. Sasuke will also play an important part later on in the story.**_

 ** _As the story unfolds, there will come a time, when Naruto will be forced to make a tough decision. One that will remind him of the warning that was given to him by Takeshi Otsutsuki. He hasn't looked into the Otsutsuki Clan much but he knows the rinnegan is his only key to finding more about that ancient clan. So, he'll also start focusing on his rinnegan more. Up until the time Naruto was in Anbu, he only focused on mastering the powers he knew. And the gravity manipulation and forming black chakra rods, that the rinnegan allows him to do. Some of the missions that the genin teams will go on will be similar to the canon with the addition of some new ones. Also, I believe, the chunin arc will begin after 3-4 chapters._**

 ** _Please do follow, favorite and review the story. I'm really glad to read everyone's feedback! Appreciate the positive and constructive reviews that everyone provides. Please continue doing so!_**

 **Until next time!**


	19. Chapter 19

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 19: His Sun**

* * *

On seeing Hinata's expression and her brisk walk towards them, Kakashi stood up from the ground to stand beside Naruto. He had decided against waking the blonde, so he could see his friends' reaction. After all, it had been almost five years since Naruto had met anyone from his class. Kakashi was sure everyone would be glad upon seeing him again

"Hinata? What's wrong?" asked Sakura as she saw her move towards their sensei quickly. Following after her, even Sakura quickened her pace but stopped abruptly beside her with a look of disbelief etched on her face. Sasuke, however, walked at a relaxed pace not concerning himself with his teammate's antics. But his interest had slightly piqued on noticing the still form of Sakura and Hinata.

"NARUTO?" yelled Sakura in surprise. Kakashi had to almost cover his ears at the loudness of her voice but did not voice his thoughts. Naruto shot his eyes open on hearing the familiar voice and immediately got up from the ground. A silly look appeared on his face and he scratched the back of his head as he realized he had dozed off. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't even seven in the morning yet. As he looked around, his eyes widened slightly on seeing Sakura and her. How long had it been he wondered. He took a step towards them but stopped when he heard Sakura speak again.

"Is that really you, Naruto?" this time Sakura asked quietly, unable to believe her eyes.

"Hai, it's me, Sakura…" He replied with a small smile. Sakura blushed a little on seeing how much Naruto had changed. His body had become completely lean and she could clearly see his defined muscles across his chest and arms. Naruto had lost most of his 'baby fat' and looked physically strong. He had also grown to a height of five feet and seven inches. He wore a black high collared long sleeve shirt with the Uchiha Clan crest at back, black pants with bandages wrapped around his ankles, standard shinobi sandals, black gloves over his hands and a jounin flack jacket. He had also let his hair grow over the years and it was now waist-length with shoulder length bangs framing the sides of his face and covering most of his right eye.

She suddenly came out of her daze when she saw the blonde wave in front of her face. "Eh, Sakura? You good? You dozed off for a few seconds." Naruto said with a chuckle. She jokingly slapped him across the shoulder all the while sporting a huge smile on her face. Today was one of the best days of her life up till now.

"So, are you jounin now?" Sasuke asked casually. He wasn't all that surprised to see the blonde. Naruto had been spending quite a lot of time back at home now the past few weeks although Sasuke wasn't aware of anything else.

"Yeah, I left the Anbu a few weeks ago. I'm now an official jounin of Konohagakure. And, I will also be a part of team seven from now on… I didn't really want to lead a genin team and Hokage-sama thought this would be the best course of action." Naruto replied calmly. He was glad that Sasuke seemed to be a lot calmer than before and more powerful too, judging by how strong his chakra seemed.

Lastly, he glanced towards Hinata who had remained quiet up to this point. He hesitated to move towards her, not really sure how she would react. He hadn't really parted with her on good terms. He felt saddened on seeing her moist eyes. He certainly did not deserve those tears from someone like her. Everyone kept their eyes on the blonde as he slowly moved towards Hinata. She averted her gaze as he now stood before her. There were so many emotions coursing through her heart and she felt conflicted on what to say to him. Would their relation be the same after so much time? Would they be able to talk to each other normally? What if he did not care about her anymore? She shut her eyes as such questions kept recurring in her mind. Unknown to her, similar waves of questions were also flowing through Naruto's minds.

Her heart raced faster, as she felt him place his palm on her cheek. "I'm such a jerk, aren't I?" Naruto whispered. Tears flowed down her face as she felt the warmth of his touch. She had forgotten how much she missed it. Without any further thoughts, she hugged him tightly and held him, afraid that this was all a dream. Afraid that she may wake up any second in her room, to find him disappear from her sights. Kakashi and Sakura smiled at the scene before their eyes. Both knew how much Naruto and Hinata had missed each other.

"I missed you, Hinata-chan… and I'm really sorry for how I left things." Naruto said quietly as he too placed her arms across her back and held her close. Naruto's body was imbued with a wave of euphoria on having her so close to him yet saddened by the emotions he was sensing from Hinata. A few minutes passed and the two stayed in each other's embrace, enjoying the feeling. Naruto then placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her a little back, so he could stare into those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Hinata…?" asked Naruto. She still hadn't uttered a single word. He was surprised when she suddenly slapped him across his face and it was then that he could see the sadness in her eyes. And he hated himself for it.

"You idiot! Why would you just leave like that? Why didn't you tell me?" Hinata yelled, regaining a bit of composure. He lowered his gaze, knowing fully well that he deserved it.

"I… I was afraid. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to go through with my decision had I told you beforehand." Replied Naruto, still unable to meet her gaze. She hit him on his arms and pushed him by his chest as all the hurt and frustration suddenly came rushing in to her mind. Naruto simply kept quiet and took it all. He knew, his decision in the past may appear to be cruel to most but Naruto was also aware that because of it, Hinata had grown strong, both mentally and physically. The next second, he was greatly surprised when he felt her hug him again.

"Promise me that you'll never do such a thing again? I don't care how strong you've become, I will kill you myself if you ever hurt me like that again!" Hinata whispered in between her sobs. Naruto gently placed his hand on her head and caressed her hair as a small smile appeared on his face.

"That's a promise. And you know, I never go back on my word." Naruto chuckled softly.

"I still hate you!" retorted Hinata. "I know… I know…" Naruto replied as he understood the underlying meaning of her words.

"Ugh, how long are they going to stay like that?" Sasuke commented as he was smacked behind his head, courtesy of Sakura. "Would you just relax a little? Give them some time!" Sakura scolded him. Sasuke glared at her for a second before turning his head away with a scoff.

Sakura was extremely glad on seeing Naruto and Hinata together after so long. She'd be lying if she still didn't care about the blond, but she knew those two had something special. And she wasn't going to get in the middle of it. Still standing under the tree, a perverse chuckle left Kakashi's lips as he wondered if he should recall this event to Jiraiya. It had been quite some time since any books were published by the Toad Sage and the man would definitely want to have a new source of information.

About ten minutes later once Naruto and Hinata had spoken to each other for a bit, the newly graduated genins now stood in front of Kakashi, while Naruto stood beside the jounin sensei with his arms folded across his chest.

"Hmm… well, that was certainly interesting." Kakashi spoke out loud, unable to control a small laugh. However, he stopped when he felt both Naruto's and Hinata's glare at him.

"Anyway, my name is Kakashi Hatake and I'll be the jounin sensei of team seven. And Naruto here, while not a sensei, will also be part of this team. He will not be acting as a sensei per say, but he'll help out with team training and our missions too." Kakashi stated, turning a little serious. "Now, our first meeting would have gone a lot differently had you guys graduated like the other batches of genins. All of you were divided into teams two years ago and are familiar with each other. But, before we start taking missions as a team, I do want to test out each of your strengths. Any questions?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. Sasuke glanced towards the girl and knew exactly what she wanted to ask. He'd be lying if he didn't ponder about it earlier too. Practically everyone in the village talked about it.

"Did you really defeat the Tsuchikage and kill over a hundred shinobi from Iwagakure two years ago?" Sasuke questioned bluntly, turning his gaze towards the young jounin. A little surprised by the question, but Naruto wasn't really bothered by it. He may have felt a tad bit of grief for a short time earlier but also realized his actions had most likely stopped the Tsuchikage from casually advancing towards Konoha. But, even after all this time, he couldn't find it in himself to forgive the Tsuchikage completely for Mikasa's death or destroying Takigakure.

"That's correct, Sasuke. I did what any Konoha shinobi would do. I have sworn to protect Konoha against all enemies, I'll take whatever measures necessary to see that the village survives. It doesn't matter if there are a hundred or a thousand shinobi standing before me. I'll kill them all if it means protecting the village." Naruto replied in an unwavering voice. Hinata and Sakura were a little unnerved on hearing this. They knew Naruto had always been different and wasn't entirely against killing people, especially the enemies, but he did have a warm and forgiving look. Yet, looking into his eyes now, they appeared to be completely devoid of any mercy or emotion. Sasuke nodded on hearing the answer. He expected such a reply from Naruto. He still hadn't forgotten that night where Naruto had told him to use his hatred against the village's enemy, to hate Danzo until he became strong enough to kill the man responsible for the Uchiha's massacre.

Deciding to break the ice, Kakashi cleared his throat to gain the genins' attention. He took out two bells from his pouch strapped to his left leg and showed it to the people. Naruto chuckled, knowing exactly what his former sensei was going to do. 'Oh, this ought to be fun to watch…' thought an amused Naruto.

"The three of you…" Kakashi said pointing towards Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura. "… will be fighting against me. Your objective will be to take these two bells from me. You can use any of the shinobi arts in this battle. The fight ends the moment one of you manages to take this from me. Now, remember, you all better come at me with the intention to kill. Show me how much you all have grown as shinobi." Kakashi stated. He jumped to the middle of the clearing to give himself more room. The three genins stood in their places for a few seconds when they heard Kakashi's voice. "Well, don't wait for me to say start." he said with a dumb look on his face.

"What about him?" Sasuke asked, pointing towards the blonde.

"Oh, I won't be doing anything. I will just observe, I suppose." Naruto said, as he jumped up and sat on one of the tree branches to have a better view. Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke immediately disappeared into the woods surrounding the training ground to come up with an effective approach for their objective.

A little over ten minutes had passed and it was Sasuke who showed himself before Kakashi. "Oh? Your teammates won't be joining you?" asked Kakashi, without even lifting his gaze from the book he had taken out.

"You don't need to worry about them." Sasuke replied. His eyes soon turned red as he ran towards Kakashi at an impressive speed. As soon as Sasuke reached Kakashi within an arm's length, he took out his katana with his right hand and went for a backhand slash, aiming for Kakashi's torso. Kakashi easily side stepped the attempt and went for a kick to Sasuke's ribs. Having predicted the move, Sasuke swiftly ducked down and this time, aimed his katan towards Kakashi's sternum. With quick reflexes, Kakashi back flipped and threw several shuriken towards Sasuke, who deflected all the shurikens with ease. Not giving Kakashi any time to make the next move, Sasuke launched himself towards his sensei as he coated his katana with raiton chakra. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly as he quickly took out a kunai, also coating it with raiton chakra and blocked Sasuke's sword.

"There's no need to be surprised. Raiton manipulation is one of my expertise." Kakashi stated on seeing the momentary shock on Sasuke's face. However, Sasuke simply smirked and immediately jumped back startling his sensei for a second.

" **Raiton: Raikou Kousen no jutsu** " Kakashi heard Hinata's voice from behind as a beam of high voltage electricity came towards him. Before the jutsu could reach him, Kakashi jumped up in the air, but the very next second his ears picked up Sasuke's voice as he quickly turned towards him.

" **Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu** " Sasuke said, blowing a large ball of fire towards Kakashi, who was still in midair. Seeing the danger, he was in, Kakashi promptly substituted himself with a log of wood and landed a little further away from the clearing in the middle.

'These guys aren't half bad. They have certainly improved more than I expected… now where could Sakura be?' Kakashi wondered as he looked around. Unknown to the silver-haired jounin, Sakura stood about twenty feet to his west and had a clear view of him. Making a few hand seals, she casted a genjutsu around the area that would prevent Kakashi from seeing her. Once done, she quietly made her way towards her sensei and jumped to the tree branch behind him. As her hand reached out to grab the bells from him, Kakashi suddenly turned around and before Sakura could react, he kicked her on her left arm. Sakura was barely able to block the kick but still found herself being thrown away due to the strength behind it. Quickly turning her body midair, she used a tree behind her as a support and jumped to the clearing in the middle.

Hinata and Sasuke raced towards the pink haired girl, who was now sporting a light bruise on her left arm. "Did it work?" Hinata questioned.

"No, I don't know how he was able to get out of the genjutsu so easily. I was sure he'd be distracted for a few minutes at least. I suppose, he's a lot stronger than he looks." Sakura replied, as she felt a little sore on her arm.

"Of course, something like that wouldn't work on him…" they all heard Naruto's voice and turned to their right. "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked with a raised eye brow. "What I mean is that, Kakashi is one of the strongest jounins in the village. There are only a handful of people in the village who could defeat him in a one on one fight to the death. So, I'd just say you'll have to try harder." Naruto chuckled. The three genins were obviously startled on hearing that fact. But, before they could do anything further, Kakashi once again landed in the middle of the clearing with a bored look on his face.

"That was certainly good. Distracting me with taijutsu and kenjutsu first and then following it up with ninjutsu and genjutsu. It was a certainly good tactic." Kakashi said with a thumbs up. But Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura could clearly sense the sarcasm behind his words. Sasuke inwardly cursed himself for not even making Kakashi take them seriously. He immediately covered his hand in raiton chakra and rushed towards him. Kakashi simply stood his ground and stared at the Uchiha coming towards him with his lone eye. 'He never learns…' he thought with a sigh.

As Sasuke neared him, he thrusted his arm towards the jounin but Kakashi casually caught his wrist and directed the hand away from him. However, he was surprised, when Sasuke immediately jumped down and swept his legs causing him to fall on the ground. Sasuke then held his hands, to stop him from performing any hand seals. Sakura and Hinata then quickly performed a few hand sealsto execute their jutsu while Sasuke still held him in place. Meanwhile, Kakashi played along with them wanting to see what else the three were capable of. He could very well get out of Sasuke's grip but seeing the three genins work together so well, made him to want to take things slightly easy.

" **Suiton: Suigadan** " Sakura saidmaking the water from a nearby lake to rise which took the form of a spinning drill that proceeded towards Kakashi. A split second before the jutsu could reach, Sasuke immediately jumped out of the way. The suiton jutsu then proceeded to hit Kakashi, who was swept back a few feet.

" **Raiton: Jibarashi** " Hinata called out as she placed her hands on the ground. Utilizing the water that covered the area, Hinata unleashed an electric current that travelled through the water towards Kakashi, shocking him greatly. Kakashi abruptly fell on his knees as his body acted up in pain. Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura then jumped in front of Kakashi who was still on his knees with victorious smirks on their faces.

"I guess… I should congratulate you all…" said Kakashi tiredly in between breaths. Sasuke then moved towards the downed jounin to get the bells, completely oblivious to the smirk hidden under Kakashi's facemask. Before the three genins could even move a muscle any further, the Kakashi before them dispersed into a current of electricity that shocked all three of them. A few seconds later, the three then fell on the ground, groaning in pain. Moments later, they all heard the sound of clapping and turned towards the direction of the sound.

"Looks like you overdid it a little, sensei…" Naruto said with a laugh. Kakashi nodded, but he was extremely impressed with the all three of them. He was certain team seven would go on to make an excellent team in the future. About ten minutes later, the three genins finally got up from the ground with slightly saddened mood.

"When did you make that clone?" Hinata asked keenly. She was surprised that even with the three of them working together weren't able to scratch him much less get the bells from him.

"I surely thought we'd able to get the bells from you, sensei…" Sakura said as she lowered her gaze down. Sasuke kept quiet, surprised that even years of training, he wasn't able to amount to much. He felt angry at himself but most importantly cursed his own weakness. He wondered where he could have gone wrong. Why wasn't he at least able to put up a decent fight. All three of them brought out of their internal conflicts when they heard Kakashi's voice, which sounded rather happy.

"To answer your question Hinata, I switched myself with the clone just before Sakura's jutsu was about to hit me. But more importantly, you guys performed splendidly. I am thoroughly surprised with how much the three of you have improved…" Kakashi stated with an eye smile.

"But we weren't able to get the bell, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura spoke.

"You were never going to get the bell first of all. If you recall, I did say I was just going to test everyone's strengths and weaknesses. I'm an experienced jounin while the three of you are fresh genins. Although, I'm pretty sure all three of you will be able to handle yourself against most of the chunins for that matter." Kakashi said in an effort to lift up their moods. That certainly made Hinata and Sakura feel a lot better. While Sasuke was content with Kakashi's remarks, he glanced towards Naruto and wondered just how strong he really was. He had heard about his exploits but hearing the news from a third person's view was never the same.

"Well, since that's cleared up, we can come up with a training schedule for the three of you and discuss how each person performed. From there on, you all can work on your weaknesses to improve upon them." Kakashi said. He proceeded to make three clones of himself and each clone took a genin to a different part of the woods surrounding the training ground.

* * *

 _Two weeks later_

It was a bright, sunny morning in Konoha and team seven had finally received a day off from training, much to their relief. Unlike the academy, training under Kakashi had turned out to be a constant struggle and by the end of each day they would either limp back home or pass out in the training ground from exhaustion. One of the key concepts that Kakashi had emphasized to them was efficiency and teamwork. To be able to complete an objective with a clear mind, in the given amount of time and to be able to look a mission objectively rather than emotionally. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura were pleasantly surprised at the vast difference in the teaching methods of Kakashi compared to the academy teachers. While true that most of the current jounin sensei also taught at the academy for a short period, but during that time, they only grazed the tip of the field the students wanted to specialize in.

Since Sakura had shown signs of excellent chakra control since a young age, she had opted to go for the medical field later on, in her shinobi career. Ever since she could remember, she had idolized Tsunade Senju who was regarded as the greatest medical practitioner and the strongest kunoichi in the shinobi world. In the academy, she was taught the most basics of medical ninjutsu along with slightly advanced chakra control exercises than the rest of the students. With Kakashi, she was trained to improve upon her stamina, chakra reserves and advanced chakra control exercises. Since she had suiton and doton nature affinities, one of the chakra control exercises she was currently working on was to separate different grains of sand within a small puddle, without disturbing the flow of water.

Being a kunoichi from the Hyuga Clan, Hinata had an innate sense of chakra control. While almost as good as Sakura's, she wasn't much interested in the medical field. Her interest lied in mid to close range battles. At the young age of fourteen, Hinata was considered among the best taijutsu users of the Hyuga Clan. Even though, her taijutsu style- gentle fist, was extremely efficient in conjugation with her byakugan, Kakashi had noticed some of her movements to be stiff, especially when turning her body. She mainly worked on her fluidity of movements, improving the range of her byakugan and also working on her ninjutsu. The Hyuga Clan prided themselves in their taijutsu and considered themselves to be a cut above the others and thus it was very rare to see a Hyuga use ninjutsu. So, Kakashi was caught a little off guard to see her work on ninjutsu.

However, when it came to Sasuke, Kakashi devoted, a good amount of time behind him. Like him, Kakashi too had lost almost everyone he cared about at a young age and could see a reflection of himself within Sasuke. Since he also had the sharingan, he felt a tad bit more comfortable in teaching Sasuke than Hinata and Sakura. Although, it's not to say that he didn't tend to their needs. Under Kakashi's guidance, Sasuke worked on his sharingan and further improving his stamina and speed. In his early years in the Anbu, since Kakashi used to wield a chokuto, he was also able to help Sasuke with kenjutsu in regard to improving his stance and swiftness of his strikes. Similar to the blonde Uchiha, Kakashi had noticed that Sasuke too could be considered a prodigy. The immense potential that the child had was simply terrifying. That alone made him wonder whether everyone within the Uchiha Clan was born with innate talents in the shinobi arts.

"Why do you make me work so hard with them…? It's honestly tiring." Kakashi said quite tiredly.

"Eh, it's good for you, sensei. If I didn't force you to teach them properly, you probably would have left them to fend for themselves." Naruto replied with an equally tired face. The two were just getting out of the Hokage's Building after finishing up on some paperwork for the chunin exams in a few months. It had been a while since any of them had to deal with any sort of paperwork and one could say how irked they were by the looks on their faces.

"Well, you turned out to be good, didn't you? And, I mean you could help out at times too instead of just lying around at the training ground." Replied Kakashi as he yawned. 'I know why Minato-sensei hates paperwork so much. It truly is a bane of existence.'

"Maybe, I was just an exception. Moreover, someone needs to keep an eye on you. You're like the laziest person I know of. You could probably even compete with the Nara Clan in that regard." Naruto stated with a smirk and had to control himself from outright laughing. Kakashi's eye twitched at that remark but he didn't have the energy to neither yell nor hit the blonde.

"Smartass…" Kakashi muttered under his breath. Naruto chuckled at Kakashi's expression and decided not to probe the man any further. "Well, anyway, I think I'm going to go and get some rest. Being a jounin is hard. I wish I was still in Anbu. I would take going on risky missions any time over this damn paperwork." Scoffed Naruto. Kakashi then took out his small book from his pouch as he waved goodbye to Naruto who took to the rooftops. Kakashi walked aimlessly for a few minutes through the market district when he heard a voice that sent chills down his spine.

"Kakashi! Why so tired? We both are still in the springtime of our youth! I shall challenge you to a fight to brighten your youthful fire!" yelled a man clad in green spandex. 'Why did it have to be him now?' Kakashi cried inwardly.

* * *

Naruto quickly raced through the rooftops and made his way to the south of the Hokage Monument, outside the Hyuga Clan's Main House Compound. He smiled when he found Hinata to be waiting there. Even to this day, he was always found himself mesmerized upon looking at her. And he would be lying to himself if he didn't think that Hinata had grown to be quite hot over the years. That thought alone made him blush a little, but he kept himself composed. 'No silly thoughts… stupid Naruto.' He repeated in his mind.

Jumping off the branch of a tree, he landed before Hinata. Once again, he found himself staring at her for a few seconds before he realized that she was looking at him with a mischievous smirk.

"Like what you see, Naruto-kun?" she said with a wink. Since, it was her day off, Hinata was wearing knee-length violet skirt and a simple white colored top with a V-neck. Naruto was slightly taken aback with her attitude and shook his head to rid himself of any dirty thoughts.

"Uh… uhm… I guess…?" Naruto replied hesitantly as he tilted his head to the side slightly. Hinata giggled on seeing Naruto's reactions. It made her smile inwardly that she could bring out such a reaction from him. "So, why did you want to meet now? I'm quite tired, you know…" Naruto said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You were gone for so many years without ever telling me anything. And today's the first time we got any free time after you came… So, today you'll be spending the day with me!" Hinata replied cheerfully.

"Hey, come on. I'm really tired you know. And how many times do I have to apologize?" Naruto whined. He even pointed towards his eyes so Hinata could see the dark circles under them to prove that he needed his sleep. "It doesn't matter. Those five years are not going to come back. And you have to make up for it by doing what I say." Hinata firmly replied. Naruto sighed with a defeated look on his face and just nodded. There was no point in arguing with her. He had forgotten how stubborn she could get at times.

"So, where do you want to go?" Naruto asked her as they began walking away from the Hyuga Compound. "Hmm… let's see." Hinata hummed in thought as she glanced towards his tired face.

"Let's go and sit on the Hokage Monument. It's your favorite place isn't it?" she asked. A large smile appeared on Naruto's face as he nodded. He immediately placed his arm around her waist, surprising her and used shunshin no jutsu to teleport on top of the Hokage's Monument.

The next second Hinata opened her eyes, she found herself standing atop the stone faces of the Hokages. She tucked her hair behind her ears gently, as the she felt the wind blow past her. Naruto and Hinata walked to the edge of the hill and sat down next to each other with their feet hanging from the cliff. To a civilian, the edge of the cliff would seem to be a daunting place to sit because of the height. But, Naruto and Hinata were trained shinobi and they simply admired the view before their eyes. The two became quiet for a few minutes as they enjoyed each other's silent company. Hinata continued staring down at the village while Naruto kept stealing glances at her. He couldn't really tell why, but he felt a little nervous. His heart raced a little, when he felt Hinata's hand move atop his own, beside him. And for some reason, it also made him feel calmer.

"I was really mad at you when you left…" Hinata whispered but Naruto clearly heard her as he quickly turned towards her. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw Hinata's expression.

"You suddenly disappeared after that night and I was so worried and scared about you. I had so many questions. I even tried asking tou-sama, Hokage-sama and Mikoto-sama, but no one gave me any answers." Hinata continued as she stared into the empty space below her feet. With every passing second, Naruto hated himself even more. He wanted his friends to become stronger in his absence, to be able to rely on their own powers to protect the village. But he'd forgotten to account their feelings into his decision.

"I… I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. I wasn't thinking clearly at that point. But I only wanted the best for everyone." Naruto said with a heavy heart. He lowered his gaze to his palms and wondered if he had ever done anything right in his life. His life had begun as a tragedy and it had followed him all his life up to this point. Hinata placed a comforting hand on his cheek as he felt his distress. It's true that she had been devasted when he decided to leave, but right now, maybe she understood his reasons a little.

"You always try doing everything on your own, Naruto-kun. I want you to know that you're not alone in this world. You have friends you can rely on. We may not be as strong as you are, but we want to support you. We may not have suffered as much pain as you have, but we all want to share your burden…" Hinata whispered softly. Tears formed in Naruto's eyes and slowly fell on his blood-stained hands as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ever since the day he had learned of his destined prophecy from Kurama, he believed all the responsibility to be on his shoulders. He himself had clouded his mind and heart with pain that he could have shared with his friends. Hinata gently placed guided Naruto to rest his face on her lap as he grazed her fingers through his long blonde hair.

"I have killed so many people… I have taken… hundreds of innocent lives. I don't think I can forgive myself…" Naruto sobbed and let it all out. For so many years, he had kept his heart a closed fortress, keeping all the pain locked up in there.

"Shhh… it's okay. Remember when we were kids and I told you that I want to understand you better?" Hinata asked as she stared at the vast village before her eyes. She continued stroking his hair gently, knowing that Naruto was enjoying her touch. Naruto meekly nodded. He hadn't forgotten a single memory he had spent with her before joining the Anbu.

"Earlier, whenever I believed that I understood you a little, you presented me with another mystery in your life and it always scared me a little though I never showed it. But, both of us have grown a lot since that time. Right at this moment, I believe you're still lost in your own pain. Everyone has suffered some sort of pain in their life, Naruto-kun and everyone has a bit of darkness in them. I can't say I understand your pain completely now, but I'll ask you again. Let me try to understand you, Naruto-kun. You don't ever have to walk your path alone. I want to stand by your side and hold you hand…" Hinata said soothingly.

"I… I'm afraid of myself, Hinata-chan. I'm afraid of my own powers. I'm afraid that once I get consumed by the darkness in myself, I wo… won't be able to redeem myself." Naruto murmured tiredly. He closed his eyes momentarily, soaking himself in the warmth he was feeling from her.

"Then, I'll always be there by your side, pull you away from it. I promise." As he laid his head on her lap, he realized Hinata to be the key to his fortress. Being close to her made him feel as if, all his painful memories were being slowly burnt away by the bright rays of the sun.

She was his sun and he lo…

"I love you, Hinata…" Naruto whispered as he soon dozed off into a blissful sleep. Hinata suddenly froze for a few seconds as she heard those words. Yet, again she found herself shaking lightly. How long had she yearned to hear those words from him… how long had she yearned to tell those words to him. She couldn't remember but she smiled knowing that it didn't really matter anymore. She lowered herself and kissed him on his forehead and whispered into ears softly, "I love you too, Naruto-kun."

A couple of hours had passed and the two were still sitting by the edge of the Hokage Monument. Naruto stirred in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes to find himself sleeping on Hinata's lap. He suddenly got up and looked around himself worriedly. 'Was it all a dream?' he thought. He looked towards Hinata and staring into her warm eyes, he had found his answer. His eyes suddenly widened as he remembered everything he had said earlier and everything she had said.

"Did you sleep well?" Hinata asked as she moved a little closer to him. She was surprised when Naruto immediately engulfed her in a tight hug. She simply smiled and hugged him back with an equal vigor.

"That was the best sleep I've ever had, Hinata-chan…" Naruto broke the hug and now looked straight in her white eyes. "And thank you… thank you for still believing in me." Naruto said. Hinata giggled lightly much to Naruto's confusion but the next second, Hinata inched forward and poked Naruto on his forehead. Naruto stared at her a few moments and laughed freely. The kind of innocent laugh a baby has when he gets his hands on his favorite toy. Hinata was yet again mesmerized by Naruto. He looked so free and relieved now and she wanted to protect this smile of his, forever.

A few minutes later, when Naruto calmed down, he placed his hand on his stomach and realized he hadn't eaten anything last night. "Do you want to go grab a bite?" Naruto asked.

"So, is it a date?" Hinata questioned with a small smirk. "Hmm… I don't know about that…" Naruto put his hand under his chin and pretended to ponder over it for a few seconds that made Hinata slightly frown.

"Hey, I was just kidding! Come on, now." Naruto said frantically.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: Finally, the two have confessed their feelings for each other and this relationship will also provide Naruto a stage to mature mentally. After he let out everything in front of Hinata, Naruto feels a huge weight lifted of his shoulder and now maybe, he'll start to perceive things differently and take a different approach towards his decisions than he normally does. I will most likely introduce the other genins in the next chapter, where they'll meet Naruto and talk to him about his experience, although, obviously there will be very little that Naruto will actually reveal to them. In the future, I do see Shikamaru and Naruto becoming close friends because of their practical views of the shinobi world. Although that is still quite a few chapters away.**_

 ** _What Naruto meant when he said 'I'm afraid of my own powers' will be explained within the next two chapters. Most likely when team seven go on their first A Rank mission._**

 _ **I'm also planning to pair Fu with Shino and Sakura with Sasuke but I won't be going into their relationship in detail. Pairing Shino with Fu is still an option, do let me know your suggestion in the reviews if you wish to. Also, for the chunin exams, I'm planning to involve Sunagakure, Otogakure and Kumogakure instead of Kirigakure. I have different plans to introduce Kiri later on in the story. Once the chunin exam starts, Shisui's role too will become a little more regular in the story. Itachi and Shisui will definitely play an important role during the event of the Chunin Exams Final round.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! Once again, I appreciate all the reviews that are being posted. It honestly means a lot to me!**_

 **Until next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 20: The Surrounding Mist**

* * *

After spending the entire day with her, Naruto had decided to visit the local hot springs of the village to relieve himself of the slight soreness he was feeling in his body. It felt like ages since he had been to one. Even though, he was tired, Naruto had a wide smile on his face. He laughed softly on thinking of the fact how she'd made him feel and promised himself he would do everything to keep her safe and happy. As he was walking, he turned right and stumbled on to a kid who was running.

"Ouch… hey, look where you're going!" cried the kid as he massaged his rear. Naruto dumbly looked at the kid to tell him otherwise but stopped when he noticed who it was. The kid had short spiky brown hair, black eyes and a small chip in his tooth. He wore grey pants, yellow shirt and a pale green jacket with a dark green stripe down the middle. He also wore a long blue scarf around his neck. As the kid looked up, his eyes widened when he finally noticed who it was. Naruto simply smirked on seeing the look on Konohamaru's face.

"Naruto nii-chan? Where have you been all this time?" Konohamaru jolted up from the ground and went on to hug Naruto tightly. Naruto smiled and patted his head a few times before Konohamaru let go.

"Well, I can't really tell you that… Konohamaru. Village secrets and all… you know." Naruto replied apologetically. Naruto had met Konohamaru during his time at the academy a couple of times and much to his ire earlier, the kid practically worshiped him. However, thinking about it now only made him chuckle.

"Maybe now you can teach me some cool jutsus! You did say once I'm in the academy, you'll teach me!" Konohamaru stated ecstatically.

"How about sometime later? I'm really tired today and was on my way to the hot springs. I will come to your compound when I'm free and then we'll see what I can teach you, alright?" Naruto asked as he bent down to Konohamaru's eye level. Though slightly disheartened, Konohamaru instantly nodded to the proposal and ran along to meet his friends. Yet again, Naruto found himself to be looking at the kid's retreating form with a kind smile. The Sandaime Hokage had died sealing the Kyubi within him and had protected the village from a great disaster. It was because of the Sandaime that he had a parent still alive. He'd be damned if he couldn't at least look after Konohamaru from time to time. Turning back, Naruto once again made his way towards the hot springs.

About ten minutes later, Naruto reached his destination and after checking in with the receptionist, he proceeded towards the men's changing room. Once he had removed his clothes and placed it in an allotted place, he walked outside with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was momentarily surprised to see two more people in the pool.

'Great, just when I thought, I'd be alone…' Naruto thought. Since he could only see their backs from his position, Naruto couldn't really determine who the two people were. As he walked closer, the two people in the pool turned around on hearing the footsteps and they too were surprised.

"Shikamaru? Choji?" Naruto asked in surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting to meet them here.

"Ohhh, Naruto! It sure has been long!" Choji said with a wave. Naruto chuckled on seeing a packet of chips beside Choji by the edge of pool.

"Yeah, it has been…" Naruto replied quietly as he dipped himself in the warm water beside his two childhood friends. His body immediately felt highly relaxed upon feeling the warmth of the water and Naruto released a content sigh.

"I heard, you are a jounin now… Must be a lot of work huh?" Shikamaru questioned. He laid back more comfortably and gazed up at the reddish sky. This moment was sure relaxing, and he wished he could just spend the rest of his days like this. Alas, he knew for a shinobi, it was only a dream. Naruto hesitated a little for a few seconds but relaxed on seeing the look on their faces. And to his surprise, they did not appear to be mad at him.

"Yeah, it sure is… the worst thing about it is the paperwork. Since, I'm not ready to be a sensei yet, I have to handle a lot of paperwork in the office." Naruto replied. He laughed when he heard Shikamaru groan. "Still the same lazy person, are you?"

"Working in the office is just a drag. You just sit in a chair all day signing away at the papers." Shikamaru said. Naruto merely laughed at that comment. Shikamaru hadn't changed one bit. Even during the academy, he used to sleep through pretty much all the class. But Naruto knew his mind was most likely more intuitive than his own. "So, what are you guys up to?" I know Choji, you and Ino are in the same team. How's that working out?" Naruto questioned casually as he lowered himself into the water up to his chin.

"Asuma-sensei has been making us work really hard. It's hard to keep up at times." Choji replied with a slightly downed tone. The past two weeks, Asuma had been grinding team ten in taijutsu and correcting their stance along with their teamwork. The Nara, Yamanka and Akimichi clan have been really close to each other since the village was formed and the legends of these three clans' teamwork was known throughout the shinobi world. And Choji really wished he could keep up with Shikamaru and Ino, but he did not wish to fight against his own teammates. Hence, most of the days he would end up standing aside while Shikamaru and Ino had taijutsu spars. Naruto sensed the hesitation in Choji's voice and smiled slightly on remembering his kind nature. He could feel that Choji had certainly become stronger than before, but he was still afraid of hurting others with his strength.

"There's no need to worry Choji. I'm sure a time will come when you'll use your strength to protect your friends and the village against enemies. What's important is that you use your power for the right reasons. Having a kind attitude is not weakness, you can turn it into a greater strength if you wish." Naruto stated earnestly. Choji widened his eyes slightly on hearing those words. He had once heard his sensei talk to his father about his unwillingness to participate in taijutsu spars and how he may not make it as a shinobi if he kept his kind attitude. But hearing Naruto's words made him believe in himself a little more. While Shikamaru hadn't showed any outward reaction, he too was surprised by Naruto's words. He knew what Choji was going through and even though he had spoken to him on many occasions, Choji was yet to come out his shell. Shikamaru had heard of the blonde's exploits in Takigakure from his father and couldn't even begin to understand the experiences Naruto had gone through. But he was glad that Naruto hadn't completely changed compared to his younger self. Naruto's ability to inspire people had always been one of the characteristics he admired. The three of them became quiet for a while as each of them enjoyed the feeling of the warm water.

"You should come with us to the barbeque shop sometime. We all meet there once a week for dinner. Plus, I'm sure Kiba, Shino and Ino want to meet you too. It has been a long time after all…" Shikamaru spoke to lighten the mood a little. Choji immediately perked up on hearing the word barbeque and a bit of drool formed on his face, much to Naruto and Shikamaru's amusement.

"Hinata-chan told me about that. I will definitely come the next time you guys meet up. I still haven't met Ino, Kiba or Shino. I wonder how much Kiba has changed. The guy was always ready to get into a fight…" Naruto replied with a bit of nostalgia. He stretched his arms and legs and let out a breath, he didn't realize he was holding. Staring up at the sky, he suddenly found himself amazed by the different clouds. For a mere moment, he could understand why Shikamaru always loved cloud watching. He could certainly get used to this feeling.

"Yeah, you should. Ino had been asking so many questions about you... it was almost impossible to make her quiet when she learned that you came back." Choji replied taking out a few chips from the packet beside him. Naruto's interest piqued on hearing that. He certainly did not expect Ino to be so interested in him. But he shook his head and chuckled, realizing that the girl had always been too bold in her approach towards boys.

"So, are you and Hinata dating finally?" Shikamaru asked out of the blue. Naruto almost choked as some of the water went into his mouth on hearing that question. He coughed a bit to regain his composure and turned towards the Nara who had smirk on his face. Even Choji was amused on seeing Naruto's reaction.

"Wh… why would you ask that?" Naruto stuttered as he lowered himself further in the water.

"Oh, come on, it was obvious Hinata liked you. Even back in the academy, you guys were pretty close…" Shikamaru replied with an amused look. "Really…?" asked Naruto quite shyly.

"Nah, Ino wouldn't stop talking about how you and Hinata were perfect for each other. I felt like clawing my ears off on hearing her talk." Shikamaru said with an irked look on his face.

"Yeah, she talks about a lot of different stuff. Once she starts, it's hard to stop her." Choji added while munching on his chips with enthusiasm. Naruto felt slightly shy on knowing that people had already figured it out, but then he also realized that everyone would come to know about it eventually anyway. So, there wasn't any harm in telling people that Hinata was his girl. 'huh… that actually sounds good.' Naruto thought with a chuckle.

"Yeah, Hinata and I are dating…" Naruto said quietly. But Shikamaru's and Choji's sharp ears clearly picked up Naruto's words. They both stared at him for a few seconds before looking the other way.

"That' nice. I'm happy for you." Shikamaru replied genuinely. And Naruto was glad to hear that response and could sense that the two were earnest in their feelings. About ten minutes later, Choji and Shikamaru got out of the pool and bid farewell to the blond. They had already been sitting at the pool for about an hour before Naruto had joined them.

Naruto closed his eyes and rested his head against the pool side as he finally had some alone time. Yet again, he breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a lot more relaxed than before. He hadn't realized exactly how tired he was until he had entered the pool and could already feel his sore muscles loosening up. However, he was surprised when he suddenly found himself standing in his mindscape before Kurama.

"What happened Kurama? Why'd you call me here?" Naruto asked with a confused look. He was slightly taken aback with the disturbed look on Kurama's face

" **I just felt Nibi's chakra disappear. It's as if she was sealed into something.** " Kurama stated with a serious voice. "What do you mean as if she was sealed? You mean into another jinchuriki? But I thought she was sealed into one already." Naruto questioned perplexedly.

" **No, not in another jinchuriki. If that was case, I would have been able to still sense her chakra. But, right now I can't anymore.** " Kurama said. Naruto's eyes widened on hearing that, but he was also confused. How would that be even possible? He knew all the bijuus could sense each other, no matter how far apart they were. So, for Kurama to not being able to sense the Nibi anymore was a worrisome matter. Even Kurama for that matter was confused. While he was aware of one possible scenario where that could happen, but it wouldn't be possible unless there was another rinnegan user.

' **No that's not possible. Rikudo-jiji and Naruto are the only ones who have ever awakened the rinnegan through natural means. And Naruto doesn't even know about the Gedo Mazo yet.** ' Kurama thought. It was true that none of the bijuus were close to each other ever since the humans began enslaving them for their own purposes, but it didn't mean that Kurama didn't know the pain each bijuu went through. The humans had never been kind to the bijuus.

"I'll ask Jiraiya-sensei about it. Considering his spy network, its possible he'll hear about this news sooner or later. But, right now, I don't think I can do anything about it. We'll just have to wait and be patient about it." Naruto replied.

" **You have to be careful. No one knows what happened with the Yonbi or Gobi up to this date too. They suddenly disappeared two years ago. And now, with Nibi most likely sealed, you can't rule out the possibility that someone is going after the jinchuriki for the sole purpose of collecting the bijuu.** " Kurama said on a serious note. "I'll look into it Kurama. Maybe it has something to do with that new group that Jiraiya-sensei told me about. And, Kumogakure is going to keep this matter hushed. They wouldn't want the other villagers to capitalize on any sort of weakness." Naruto replied and got out of his mindscape as he opened his eyes. This was certainly a worrisome matter. Anyone powerful enough to steal a bijuu from Kumogakure could not be taken lightly. However, what confused him was, what could the bijuu have been sealed into. Since all the nine bijuu were once part of one being, they all share a much deeper connection that a human's comprehension. For a moment he wondered if he was missing something or if Kurama wasn't telling him the entire truth. He shook his head at that thought. His friend would never hide something from him.

Seeing that the sun had already set, Naruto got up from the pool and headed for the changing room. Once he was dressed, he waved goodbye to the receptionist and shunshined out of the area to his home. All the while unaware of the slight saddened expression on Kurama's face.

' **It is not my wish to hide things from you… but there are certain things which should remain in the shadows for all eternity.** ' Kurama thought as he rested his head on his paws.

* * *

 _Few Days later_

About three days had gone by since Naruto had learned that someone was targeting the jinchuriki for their bijuu. He still couldn't figure out for what purpose or what means was used to seal the bijuu that would leave no trace of their chakra. He had already contacted Jiraiya through the Toad summons and was relieved to know that the Sannin would be returning to Konoha in a couple of weeks. Another matter which he wanted to discuss with Jiraiya was about his rinnegan. Since the man has been travelling around the Elemental nations for a good part of his life, maybe he would have come across some information regarding the Rikudo Sennin. It had been almost four years since he awakened the rinnegan, but there was still so much about his doujutsu that he didn't know. Naruto figured if he could learn more about the Sage, maybe he could decipher something from that information regarding his eyes. Sadly, Kurama didn't have much knowledge about the rinnegan, apart from the fact that the Sage had used his eyes to separate the Juubi into the nine tailed beasts. As he leisurely walked towards the Hokage Building, he sighed since there was still so much, he didn't know about his own powers.

Team seven and Kakashi were currently waiting outside the Hokage's office for Naruto to arrive. The three genins were all dressed in their shinobi gear and had packed for a mission that may last up to a week. Early this morning, Kakashi had informed them that they would be assigned a C-Rank mission today which had excited them greatly.

"Kakashi-sensei, your habit is rubbing off on Naruto!" Sakura stated impatiently.

"Hey! Hey! Don't blame this on me… Naruto hardly listens to a word I say. Plus, I'm sure he has a good reason for not being on time." Kakashi replied nonchalantly. Sakura's eyebrow twitched a little at how easy going their sensei and Naruto were. They were jounin for god's sake. They should be more punctual right? Hinata giggled a little on seeing Sakura's expression. She had always been the one to lose her cool first. A few minutes later, Naruto finally graced the three genins with his presence. But he had to immediately duck under a punch that was thrown by Sakura.

"Oye! What's the big deal?" Naruto questioned, as he backed away a little.

"We have been waiting here for half an hour! Do you ever check the time?" Sakura asked as she tapped her foot on the floor. Naruto dumbly looked at Sakura and then at Kakashi for some help but sighed when he heard Kakashi snicker behind his book. 'Damn pervert…' Naruto thought irritatingly.

"You shouldn't be late for our first mission, Naruto-kun. What took you so long anyway?" Hinata also questioned, as she stepped beside the pink-haired girl. Naruto felt a little cornered upon such questioning and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Uh… uhm, you see…" Naruto fumbled forming a coherent sentence but was saved when he heard his tou-san calling from the office. He immediately moved for the door and entered the office before any further questioning. The two girls smirked and laughed at his antics and team seven then followed the blonde into the office. Hinata proceeded to stand a little close to Naruto while, Sasuke and Sakura were beside Kakashi. Minato glanced towards Naruto and laughed inwardly. He had heard the entire conversation outside the office and found it amusing that his son was cornered in a such a way.

"So, I have your C-Rank mission ready. The details are written in this dossier which you people can go through later. For now, I will just give the gist of the mission." Minato stated as he called in his assistant to bring a person by the name of Tazuna. A few minutes later, the doors opened and an old man with a grey beard and a pointed hat on his head walked into the room. From the smell of it, everyone in the room could tell that the man was a heavy drinker.

"This is Tazuna-san, and your mission is to accompany him to Nami no Kuni and assure his safety. There is a possibility that he may get targeted by some bandits or shinobi on the way. The mission will most likely be a week to ten days long. So, I hope all of you are adequately stacked." Minato asked as he turned towards the three genins. "Hai, Hokage-sama." Sakura and Hinata replied while Sasuke merely nodded.

"Are you sure they'll be able to protect me? These girls look pretty weak, in my opinion." Tazuna commented as he took a swig of a bottle he took out from his bag. Hinata clenched her fists on hearing that and was about to give that man a piece of her mind when Naruto held her wrists. He glanced towards her and shook his head slightly.

"Tazuna-san, is it?" Naruto asked calmly, turning towards him. Tazuna turned his gaze towards the blond and grunted in reply. "You should be more respectful towards the shinobi who'll be protecting you. I heard Nami no Kuni is not doing so well. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to you on the way there and your land would be left without any help…" Naruto said, looking straight into the old man's eyes. Tazuna gulped a little on hearing the looming threat and immediately straightened up. Sasuke and Sakura smirked on seeing Tazuna's face lose all color.

"It's not good to threaten our clients, Naruto. Be on your best behavior." Minato stated firmly, but Naruto clearly felt his father's playfulness from where he stood. "Kakashi, Naruto stay behind for a few minutes. Team seven will accompany Tazuna-san to the main gate and shall wait for you two."

Hinata softly nudged Naruto on her way out and gave him a sweet smile when the blonde turned around to look at her. As Team seven left the Hokage's office along with Tazuna, Minato's face suddenly became serious as he looked at Naruto and Kakashi.

"I assume there's more to this mission than just protecting Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked, placing his book back in his pouch. Even though it was rare, there were times when Kakashi took his job with complete seriousness.

"You're right. Couple of years ago, a young man by the name of Kaiza had also requested Konoha for help. I had sent a genin squad and a jounin to accompany Kaiza back to Nami no Kuni, but the mission went awry. Our shinobi never returned to the village and I believe Kaiza may have died along with them. Since then, I had instructed our border patrol shinobi to keep an eye on Nami no Kuni from afar and note down anything suspicious. We didn't have proof of any illicit activities going on in that nation earlier, but over the past two years, we have gathered some facts. Gato Industries had set up their base of headquarters in Nami no Kuni and have been partaking in the black-market activities such as slavery, prostitution and funding resources to shady groups." Minato revealed.

"How do you know so much about this, tou-san? Konoha has never had any form of relation with Nami no Kuni and I doubt the border patrol were able to gather so much information by themselves." Naruto expressed his thoughts skeptically. Minato hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should reveal this to them. Apart from Shikaku, Jiraiya and him, no one knew about this information.

"I have been making Shisui keep tabs on our surrounding nations discreetly over the past few years. Ever since Iwagakure began taking over the lands surrounding their nations, I wanted to have information on other nations which normally wouldn't be accessible. Currently, he's stationed near the Hidden Frost Village, keeping tabs on Kumogakure." Minato stated. And he wasn't surprised to see the shocked looks on both Naruto and Kakashi's faces.

"But, that's suicide, tou-chan! If he gets discovered by the enemies, he'll certainly lose his life!" Naruto almost yelled, losing his composure. However, Kakashi remained quiet and went over all the information he had analytically.

"Calm down Naruto. Focus. Shisui's skillset is well suited for this kind of mission. He's a cut above the others when it comes to infiltration and espionage. Moreover, if you think about a lot of information we have received over the years, it makes sense that this news was hidden from even us. Have you forgotten about the possibility of a mole we discovered during the Uchiha Clan's incident?" Kakashi said logically. After hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto calmed down a little but was still slightly on edge. He didn't want to lose another close friend of his.

"Kakashi is right, Naruto. We have been unable to find the mole within our village even to this day. That's why I'm keeping this information under wraps. Over the past two years, Shisui has travelled into Kirigakure, Sunagakure, borders of Tsuchi no Kuni, Kumogakure and even Nami no Kuni to gather valuable intel for us. There's only so much Jiraiya-sensei can do. While Jiraiya-sensei keeps track on Orochimaru and Danzo's movements, Shisui reduces his work load by keeping tabs on other nations. And even though, Sunagakure is our ally right now, we can't take our alliance too seriously. Few years back, the daimyo of Kaze no Kuni was hiring Konoha shinobi for our lower prices and because of that less missions were being handed out to Sunagakure which created a slight tension between our nations. Luckily, we were able to avoid any confrontation with them when we agreed to give a small percentage of the missions from Kaze no Kuni's daimyo to Sunagakure." Minato explained briefly. Naruto was highly surprised by the political sport between the nations. He never did really care about it all that much in the past, but he realized the value of playing it aptly.

"But I digress. Currently, you must treat Nami no Kuni as a hostile territory. Gato has been known to hire shinobi frequently to carry out his underhanded tasks. Kakashi, your mission is to stay with the genins and protect Tazuna at all costs. While, Naruto your mission is to assassinate Gato and destroy his headquarters. I don't care how you do it, but I want the man removed from Nami no Kuni promptly. Tazuna intends to build a bridge that will connect Nami no Kuni to Hi no Kuni. That way the two nations can begin working on trade businesses via land. Since Nami no Kuni is surrounded by ocean on all sides, the main trade route is water, which is overlooked by Gato's underlings. So, you understand the importance of this mission, right?" Minato questioned with utmost seriousness. With Gato industries removed from Nami no Kuni, Minato wished to open business between the Land of waves and Hidden leaf. This would not only benefit the civilian populace of Konohagakure but also the shinobi. Nami no Kuni was renowned for having quite a few skilled weapons craftsmen. Kakashi and Naruto nodded as they understood how important this mission would be for the village. This would also provide the genins of team seven to prove their worth in a life-threatening situation. The two jounin nodded to their leader and shunshined out of the office to regroup with their team and Tazuna.

* * *

 _With Team seven and Tazuna_

As Naruto and Kakashi arrived at the main gate, they found the three genins to be talking amongst themselves while Tazuna stood a little further away, sipping away on his sake. It was barely ten in the morning and the man already finished half a bottle.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun, you guys are back. What took so long?" Hinata asked as she noticed their arrival. Sakura and Sasuke turned too and had the same questioning look on their faces.

"Miss me already, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked with a flirtatious smirk. Even though, she was a lot more confident than her younger self, Hinata still felt a little shy when Naruto looked at her that way. Regaining her composure immediately, she scoffed mockingly and completely ignored the blond to look at Kakashi. Naruto face faulted at Hinata's mean reply or rather lack of it as a sad aura surrounded him. "You can be such a baby at times, Naruto-kun. You know what I meant when I asked the question." Hinata replied. Naruto quickly perked up on hearing Hinata's words that made the others look at the blonde quite dumbly.

"Well, it's not anything that you guys need to concern yourself with too much. But, as Hokage-sama had stated, there is a high possibility that Tazuna-san may be targeted by shinobi. So, you guys need to be on your guard." Kakashi said with his trademark eye smile after witnessing the amusing banter between Hinata and Naruto. Out of all, one could easily say that Sasuke was the most eager one to go on this mission. He would finally be able to test his abilities against actual enemies and find out how much he had progressed over the years. He was hoping they would get stopped by shinobi on the way. A few moments later, team seven, Naruto and Tazuna quickly left the village after checking out with the gate guards- Izumo and Kotetsu.

It had been about five hours since the group had departed Konoha. Team seven were travelling in a diamond formation, with Hinata in the front, Sasuke to the right, Sakura to left, Kakashi at the back and Tazuna in the middle. Hinata's byakugan would aid the group tremendously in scouting out enemies in front of them. Naruto travelled about two hundred meters behind the group, to jump in as a surprise, in case the group was attacked by a group of shinobi. The air around them had turned a tad bit misty as they were nearing the shore.

"Kakashi-sensei, I believe there's a genjutsu placed to our right, about a mile ahead of us. It hasn't rained in days, yet, I see a puddle of water on a completely dry land." Hinata informed as she scouted ahead. Sakura and Sasuke perked up on hearing that and kept their senses up, in case of a surprise attack. "Let's not alert the enemy. I don't think they're aware of our knowledge of them. So, let's see how it plays out." It was Sasuke who had voiced his thoughts. Kakashi was mildly impressed with his strategy and gave a go ahead to the plan.

"What do you mean? Shouldn't you guys be more careful and deal with them beforehand?" Tazuna asked grumpily. He wouldn't believe that these kids could protect him until he saw them in action. He wasn't much fond of shinobi since he never had any pleasant experiences with them in the past. "Patience, Tazuna-san. We gave you our word that we'll protect you. Just watch…" Kakashi replied to ease off the old man's worries. Tazuna gave no outward reaction but decided to take the jounin's words. Still, he couldn't help but be skeptical, considering what happened with his son in law, Kaiza. He could only hope that this time, things turned out to be different. Because of Gato, the people of Nami no Kuni had been living in constant of fear of their life. And things hadn't been easy with his family ever since Kaiza was publicly executed in the middle of their town.

As team seven passed the puddle of water to their right, two shadows immediately emerged from the water and jumped towards Kakashi with their sharp claw like gauntlets that were connected to each other through a metal chain. However, before the two could even reach the white-haired jounin, Sasuke reacted quicker than the two people anticipated. Taking out his katana, Sasuke turned around and cut the metal chain, making the two shinobi jump back with caution. Kakashi, who still had a bored look on his face glanced up from his book and stared at the two shinobi as he recalled their identities.

"Gozu and Meizu, the demon brothers of Kirigakure. B-Rank missing ninjas with chunin level skills." Kakashi stated out loud. By this time, Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura had all lined up in front of Tazuna protectively. While Hinata and Sasuke had settled into their stance to fight the two missing ninjas, Sakura decided to stay beside Tazuna. Kakashi also decided to stay back, wishing to see how his team would play this out. He knew Naruto was sitting on top of a tree behind them, observing the event. Kakashi was sure his team would be able to handle the two of them, well confident in the three genins' abilities.

"Oh, these Konoha shinobi seem more skilled Meizu." Gozu stated with a toothy smirk that was mirrored by his brother. "You're right. Let's teach these kids a less…" before Meizu could even finish his sentence, Gozu and him had to jump away from their position as Sasuke had swiftly thrown several shuriken aimed at the two brother's vital locations. Taking advantage of the brothers' disarray as soon they landed on the ground, Hinata and Sasuke raced towards them and engaged the two in taijutsu.

Gozu swung his large metallic gauntlet at Hinata, who graciously ducked under it and struck at his tenketsu on his left arm, thereby making it go limp. Gozu cursed his luck at being paired against a Hyuga and jumped back a few feet to gain some distance. But, Hinata quickly followed up and threw two kunai aimed towards his heart. With his free hand, Gozu managed to deflect the kunais but the moment he took his eyes off Hinata, she appeared behind him and this time, struck his chakra points on the legs, effectively disabling him to move as he fell on the ground and cried out in pain. "If you don't wish to suffer anymore pain, I'd advise you to keep quiet." Hinata stated as she pointed a kunai to Gozu's throat. Gozu glared at the girl before him and tried to move but with his left arm and both his legs limp, he could hardly do anything. As Hinata looked to her left, she was glad that Sasuke had also managed to defeat his opponent quite easily. But, Hinata and Sakura were quite unnerved when Sasuke simply slit Meizu's throat with no regard.

"Brother! You little punk!" Gozu yelled and thrashed in his spot, attempting to crawl towards his brother, but Hinata had stopped him in tracks. Sasuke scoffed at the pathetic display and simply turned away from him.

"You didn't have to kill him, Sasuke… You could have just rendered him unconscious." Hinata stated. She wasn't abhorred with what Sasuke had done rather the look on Sasuke's face when he had killed the shinobi.

"He was an enemy of the village and got the fate that he deserved." Sasuke replied firmly as he sheathed his katana in the scabbard. Few seconds later, Kakashi and Naruto also joined in. While Kakashi went towards Sasuke, Naruto walked straight towards the downed Gozu. Forming a black chakra rod from his left palm, Naruto swiftly ended the man's misery as he implanted the black rod through the Gozu's heart.

"What?" Naruto questioned with a shrug as he turned around to look towards Hinata and Sakura.

"Sasuke is right. He was an enemy who had every intention of killing you. He just got what he deserved." Naruto said frankly. Hinata was surprised by Naruto and Sasuke's disregard for life. While she knew the two brothers were in no way innocent, but she still couldn't have brought herself to kill someone so easily. Naruto understood Hinata's distress and calmly walked towards her. "My hands are already stained with blood, Hinata-chan. I can't even remember how many I've killed. But your hands are still pure. There's no need to sully your own hands. Only do it when it's completely necessary." Naruto said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hinata quietly nodded and calmed herself. She was kunoichi of Konoha and had to act like one.

"I know, Naruto-kun. Still, taking a life is a lot harder than I had imagined." Hinata confessed. Naruto clearly understood her dilemma and couldn't blame her for the nervousness. Sasuke and Sakura, however, were intrigued with the black rod that Naruto had seemingly produced out of thin air but decided to keep their curiosity to themselves for the time being.

"Well, let's wrap this up and be on our way, yeah? We wouldn't want to stay out here for too long." Kakashi said, as he sealed the two dead bodies inside a scroll. He would need to take Gozu and Meizu's heads to a bounty office to collect the rewards on their head on Konoha's behalf. Once done, he turned around and noticed the downhearted look on Sakura's face.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Kakashi asked on seeing how quiet the pink-haired girl had become. "Uh-huh… It's just that until now, killing another shinobi was just a thought in my mind. But, now that I actually saw someone die in front of my eyes, the reality of it feels a lot more different." Sakura said with slightly lowered gaze. "Don't worry about it. I hope you don't have to witness a lot of death in your shinobi career… but then again, it's only wishful thinking. You can never truly prepare yourself for this. You just need to get used to it, Sakura." Kakashi replied understandingly. He had killed thousands of people up till now and was given several names like 'friend-killer Kakashi', 'cold-blooded Kakashi'. Only he knew how shallow it made him feel. But, for the sake of his village, he endured it all. Because that's what meant being a shinobi. Hinata and Sakura moved to Tazuna to check if he was okay and Naruto walked towards Sasuke who stood at the side with his hands tucked inside his pockets.

"You did well, Sasuke and have grown well as a shinobi. Maybe, I could help you out with your sharingan later on and help you with ninjutsu and kenjutsu too." Naruto offered.

"These people were hardly worth fighting… but sure, I'll train with you." A little surprised, Sasuke nodded nonetheless. He'd be crazy to refuse to train with him. Some people in the village considered Naruto to be even stronger than the Hokage and Sasuke was certain his own skills would grow by leaps if he trained with Naruto on a daily basis. He smirked inwardly at the thought of taking his revenge on Danzo. A few minutes later, everyone once again started walking towards Nami no Kuni at a brisk pace. They expected to reach Tazuna's house in a couple of hours.

About half an hour later, when the group from Konoha reached the shore, Kakashi and Naruto suddenly stopped when they felt the unnatural mist surrounding them. Even Sakura, Hinata, Sasuke and Tazuna stopped in their tracks as they couldn't even see an inch in front of them.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked quietly. She had noticed the mist that had rolled in around them since their fight with the Demon brothers. But, simply discarded it as a natural phenomenon since they were nearing the shore. Similar thoughts were going through other genins' and Tazuna's mind.

"Everyone stay put where you are. This mist isn't natural. There's chakra mixed in this mist." Kakashi stated cautiously. Naruto lowered himself and placed a single finger on the ground. "I sense two shinobi. One is in front of us, while the other is to our south-east but still close by." Naruto said as he stood up. Everyone suddenly became alarmed when they felt an unnatural pressure on them. The three genins' took a few steps back in fear on feeling the killing intent directed at them and Tazuna looked as if he'd fall unconscious any moment. Naruto and Kakashi stepped forward and kept their senses on high alert. The enemy was strong this time.

"Oh? Now, this is a surprise. For two of Konoha's famous shinobi to be here." Echoed a voice all around them. Sasuke gripped the hilt of his katana tightly as Hinata and Sakura held on to their kunai. They had never felt such killing intent in their life and all three could feel their hands shake a little.

"Now, how should I kill all of you? Maybe a stab through the head? Heart? Or maybe I should cut your limbs? Sounds delightful huh?" the voice now came from behind them, as the shinobi laughed menacingly. Kakashi and Naruto momentarily glanced towards each other and nodded. Naruto quickly placed his palms together and released a pulse of pressurized wind all around him to get rid of the mist surrounding them. Simultaneously, disappeared from his position and appeared behind team seven. With the mist gone and the vision around them clear, everyone could now see Kakashi blocking a large sword with a kunai.

"Zabuza Momochi…" Kakashi whispered as his lone eye narrowed at the former Kiri shinobi.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: This mission will prove to be an eye opener for team seven and how cruel the shinobi world can actually be. Hearing about something from someone is always a lot different when a person actually experiences it themselves. While, team seven genin have the skills, they still need to gain experience for their skills to nurture. The next chapter will feature the story of why Tazuna's grandson, Inari does not believe in having hope and doesn't trust shinobi for that matter. Next chapter will also conclude this mission and will feature quite a few surprise arrivals too.**_

 _ **Akatsuki have already begun moving onto the jinchuriki. They will be sealing the bijuus according to their tails. Currently, they are yet to seal the four and five tails, since they are waiting for the three tails to reform. Naruto's main role in team seven is to help Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura with their growth. He won't be always helping out with their battles.**_

 ** _Someone had asked how Orochimaru was able to use the reverse summoning jutsu even though he was impaled with chakra rods. Well, in Boruto, when Naruto was impaled by chakra rods from Momoshiki, he was still able to use chakra to enhance Boruto's rasengan. Similarly, with Orochimaru's case, he only needed to exert minimal amount of chakra to reverse summon himself. I hope, this answers the question. In case I'm wrong, do leave a correct explanation in the reviews or PM me if possible._**

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! I'm loving the reviews left by the readers! You guys are amazing!**_

 **Until next time!**


	21. Chapter 21

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Set in Fate**

* * *

With sheer strength, Kakashi managed to deflect the large sword, much to everyone's surprise. However, the man named Zabuza once again swung his sword with precision, aiming to sever Kakashi's torso. Kakashi shifted to the right slightly and parried the sword and directed it towards the ground. He quickly followed it up by aiming his right hand coated in electricity towards Zabuza's head. With quick reflexes, Zabuza ducked under Kakashi's hand and dissolved into water. He then rose from the water in the ocean and to Tazuna's surprise, stood perfectly balanced.

"You got some nice moves there, Kakashi…" Zabuza chuckled as he rested his sword on his shoulders. He smirked as he could sense the slight tension developing in the genins. But inwardly he was analyzing his chances of getting out on top. He believed he could most likely take Kakashi in a one on one fight, but the blonde kid was a whole different matter. He glanced at the shinobi who was given the moniker of Shiroi Shinigami and noticed that Naruto hadn't moved from his place at all. The tales of the blonde Uchiha had reached even Mizu no Kuni and in a practical scenario, he would like to avoid fighting Naruto at all costs. Yet, every cell in his body wanted to test the blonde's strength and confirm if the rumors about his battle prowess were indeed true or not.

Kakashi jumped in front of his team and lifted his headband, showcasing his fully matured sharingan.

"Oh? The sharingan already? You honor me, Kakashi. Then, I shall also fight with my full strength." Zabuza stated firmly. The genins of team seven had their eyes widened on hearing that their sensei had a sharingan. Out of the three, Sasuke was the most shocked as he wondered just how Kakashi got his hands on a sharingan or the fact that he never told his team about it. But he kept quiet as he intently focused on the two jounin level shinobi fighting before him.

Kakashi and Zabuza once again ran at each other, and Zabuza performed a vertical swing. As the large sword came down, Kakashi jumped and aimed a kick to Zabuza's right arm. But the Kiri swordsman easily blocked the kick with his elbow and in a show of impressive strength, pushed Kakashi back. As Kakashi backflipped and landed on the ground, he performed a few hand seals and called, " **Katon: Kakiryuu no jutsu** ". A fire emerged all around the white-haired jounin and took the form of a dragon which then proceeded towards Zabuza with an intimidating look. Not deterred by the katon jutsu, Zabuza performed his own set of hand seals.

" **Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu** " The water around Zabuza rose to about fifteen feet and took the form of a giant dragon with glowing yellow eyes. As the two opposing jutsu collided with each other, a natural mist now formed in the area. Kakashi instantly became highly alert of his surroundings as he aware of Zabuza's specialty. Zabuza quickly hid his presence in the mist and moved towards Kakashi's direction. Sensing danger behind him, Kakashi immediately turned around and blocked the giant sword. The two battled in strength for a few seconds but Zabuza soon overpowered Kakashi and cleaved the jounin in half. To his surprise, Kakashi dissolved into water and the next second, he found a hand covered in sparkling electricity sticking out of his chest.

"It's over Zabuza." Kakashi whispered behind him. However, Zabuza chuckled and also dissolved into water. Kakashi had to immediately duck down as heard the swishing sound of the sword cutting through the air. He instantly proceeded to jump away, but Zabuza reacted a tad bit quicker and managed to get a small cut on Kakashi's left arm. Instead of following after Kakashi, Zabuza once again jumped towards the ocean. As the mist cleared, Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke were alarmed on seeing Kakashi panting and clutching his left arm. Sasuke began shaking slightly as he once again felt the fear creep up his spine. The same fear he had felt the night his clan was murdered.

'So, this is how jounins fight. I'm not even close to their level. If this continues, I may just go crazy This is insane. So much killing intent.' Sasuke thought with beads of sweat rolling down his face. He glanced towards Naruto and was surprised that the blonde stood in his place calm as a tree. Yet again, he cursed his own lack of power. He brought a kunai close to his thigh and proceeded to stab himself slightly to divert the sense of fear elsewhere. He gritted his teeth but kept his calm. Hinata and Sakura were not faring any better. Even though they appeared to be relatively calmer on the outside; inwardly they too were quaking in fear. This was the first time they had witnessed two jounins fight to death. And from the looks of it, Zabuza had the upper hand. Tazuna, however, was having the worst time of all. He was down on the ground and clutched his head in pain. All of this was beginning to get too mortifying for him to bear.

As Kakashi regained his bearings, he stood upright and narrowed his eyes towards Zabuza. Having a taijutsu spar with him wasn't a clever idea since Zabuza clearly had greater strength than him. His only option would be taking him by surprise and use a raiton jutsu to counter his suiton ones. But, before Kakashi could even make a move, another mizu bunshin of Zabuza arose from the scattered water behind him and kicked him towards the ocean. Zabuza quickly performed a set of hand seals and as soon as Kakashi neared him, he called out the name of his jutsu.

" **Suiton: Suiro no jutsu** " And Kakashi was immediately trapped in a sphere of water. A highly alarmed look appeared on Kakashi's face as he struggled to breath or even get out of this jutsu. Zabuza panted a little and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, this one's done… Few more minutes and he'll die in there." Zabuza laughed out loud. The genins hesitantly took a step forward but still apprehensive whether they'd be able to do much if their own sensei couldn't. "You kids think, you can take me on? Don't mock me! You'd die instantly. It'd be better if the Shiroi Shinigami fought me himself. Maybe then you'll have a chance." Zabuza taunted. On hearing that, Naruto started chuckling as he stepped forward. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura lowered their gaze as they knew, Zabuza was right.

"Me? And fight you? You're the one who shouldn't make me laugh, Zabuza. A washed-up shinobi like you is not even worth my time. You couldn't kill the Yondaime Mizukage, what makes you think you'll be able to even lay a hand on me?" Naruto stated with his hands folded across his chest. Zabuza gritted his teeth in frustration at the blonde's taunting but kept his cool.

"Well, why don't you show me then?" Zabuza replied confidently. To his surprise, Naruto simply turned around to look at the three genins. As Naruto turned around to look at his teammates, the three genin were surprised at the warm look on Naruto's face. It was very rare to see Naruto give that look. But it also made them feel safe. That look alone told them to go forth and show their powers. It told them to believe in their own strength and that he'd have their back if something went wrong. With new found confidence, the three genins fearlessly stepped forward. Zabuza laughed at the stupid confidence that three kids were now portraying and decided to see what they were capable of. It was his belief that a person could not consider himself a shinobi unless they had taken a life. And from the fear he had sensed in them earlier, he was sure these green genins would not be able to do much. _Oh, how wrong he would turn out to be_.

Sasuke took out a fuma shuriken from his backpack and to Zabuza's surprise performed one handed seals with his free hand. Coating the fuma shuriken with raiton chakra, Sasuke threw it towards Zabuza. The Kiri swordsman was yet again surprised when the single fuma shuriken multiplied into four and all of them flew towards him at a fast pace. Creating five mizu bunshins, each clone managed to deflect a fuma shuriken but for the slight moment he had diverted his gaze from the genins, Sakura and Hinata had already performed their own set of hand seals.

" **Raiton: Rakurai no jutsu** " Hinata fired small bolts of electricity towards the five clones which were immediately dispelled from the electric shocks. Sakura placed her palms on the water that was on the ground and proceeded to form four small whips of water. The small water whips proceeded to travel through the water on the ground and as soon as they reached the ocean, they instantly increased in size and the four water whips instantly latched onto Zabuza's feet even though he tried jump. He managed to keep his left hand submerged in the water sphere that was holding Kakashi, for a while, but soon one of the water whips that latched onto his foot flung him away. As soon as Zabuza's hand was out, the water sphere surrounding Kakashi dissolved, thereby freeing him. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura smiled widely as they were successful in freeing their sensei even though they didn't manage to scratch Zabuza one bit. Naruto also smiled on seeing the teamwork shown by team seven and he was certain Kakashi would be proud of what he'd seen.

"Hmph… they just got lucky. But they do seem to be smart on their feet at least." Zabuza said, as he landed on top of the water. Kakashi was relieved to have gotten out of that jutsu. He was struggling to hold his breath and if he had to spend a few more minutes trapped in that sphere, he would have definitely fallen unconscious.

"You're not fooling anyone Zabuza. You were forced to let go." Kakashi stated as he calmed himself. Opting not to reply, Zabuza started performing a long string of hand seals, which was also mirrored by Kakashi. 'How is he doing that? He's doing it even faster than me!' thought a surprised Zabuza.

"How…" Zabuza started.

"… can I read your mind?" Kakashi finished, making Zabuza's mind stumble. Before Zabuza could even finish the hand seals for his jutsu, Kakashi completed molding the chakra for the jutsu.

" **Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu** " Kakashi said out loud as a huge water cyclone, turned on its side formed beside him and smashed into Zabuza with great force. Consequently, the Kiri swordsman crashed into the trees on the land and fell unconscious instantly. Kakashi then fell on his knees as he had used quite a lot of chakra in this fight. Much more than he had expected. He covered his sharingan eye with his forehead protector and proceeded to walk towards his team. The team seven genins promptly walked towards Kakashi on seeing his tired state. They were thoroughly amazed by Kakashi's strength but more intrigued by the fact that he also possessed a sharingan. Sasuke had decided to question him regarding the eye once they reached Tazuna's home.

As Naruto walked towards Zabuza to finish him off, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up see another shinobi sitting on the tree. From the looks of it, he supposed the shinobi was a Hunter ninja from Kiri.

"I thank you, Konoha shinobi for finishing off Zabuza. I had been tracking him for quite some time." Said the masked shinobi. Naruto was momentarily surprised at the gentle and kind voice but kept his eyes focused on the hunter ninja. By now, the other members of team seven had also noticed the masked shinobi and were staring at him with caution.

"Are you here to take him?" asked Naruto. The masked shinobi nodded and jumped off the tree to stand beside Zabuza. He then implanted two senbon needles in Zabuza's neck making the other people believe that Zabuza was indeed dead. Though a little suspicious, Naruto decided to give the Kiri shinobi the benefit of the doubt. Since Kirigakure had recently come out of the civil war, it would be natural that the village wished to clean up its mess and gather their precious tools.

"I wish you luck on your mission, Konoha shinobi." The hunter ninja said before he picked up Zabuza body and disappeared from the area. Almost immediately, Kakashi fell on the ground as his body was too tired to stand up.

"Kakashi-sensei! What happened? Are you all right?" Sakura asked worriedly as she knelt beside him. Tazuna breathed a huge sigh of relief as he saw the danger before them had ended. He was a bit more satisfied than before about the group of people protecting him. But, now that he stared at the blonde kid, he couldn't believe his eyes that he was the shinobi known as the Shiroi Shinigami. He had only heard tales of the man a couple of times from Gato's underlings. The rumors described the Shiroi Shinigami to be a being of pure terror, that anyone who dared opposed him would meet his death ultimately. But the more he stared at the blonde, the more he found those rumors to be unbelievable.

'These shinobi are freaking crazy…' Tazuna thought in disbelief. Turning towards Kakashi and his team, he was surprised that the man could even stand after the fight he had just witnessed.

"Tazuna-san, how far are we from your house now?" Hinata questioned.

"If we hurry, we can reach in an hour most likely. Kakashi-san can rest in the guest room. I believe he's extremely tired." Tazuna said with a bit of respect. As the group once again began making their way to Tazuna's house, Naruto couldn't help but shake the feeling that they were being watched or followed. It was disturbing because he couldn't feel any chakra signatures close to them. He decided to simply ignore the feeling for now and followed Tazuna.

As Naruto and the group went out of sight, the space near the shore distorted into a spiral shape and a pale skin man with a small gourd strapped to his back stepped out.

"Ohhh… I finally found him. The lost prince of our clan… let's see just how good you are with those eyes of yours…" the man quietly said to himself as he laughed a little.

* * *

 _Tazuna's house, Nami no Kuni_

About an hour later, the group from Konoha had finally reached Tazuna's house. It was a simple two-story house with a porch on the front. The door was opened by a beautiful young lady with long blue colored hair. She wore a short sleeved pink shirt and a long blue colored skirt.

"Tou-san, you're back!" exclaimed the lady in delight. From the look ono her face, it seemed she was quite worried.

"Yeah, these shinobi from Konoha escorted me along the way and will be staying with us until I finish building the bridge." Tazuna replied in relief and invited the Konoha shinobi behind him inside the house. Sakura and Sasuke immediately entered the house to get some much-needed rest. They were quite winded from the journey and the fight they were involved in. Hinata was about to follow when she saw Naruto stop.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think I will go scout the area just in case. You should go and take some rest." Naruto said. Kakashi understood the meaning behind Naruto's words and simply nodded. Getting himself off Naruto, the white-haired jounin wobbly stood on his own leg. Chakra exhaustion is among the worst scenarios a shinobi could suffer from. If not taken caution, one may even perish from the lack of chakra inside the body. Naruto turned around to walk away when he was stopped by Hinata's voice.

"Where are you going, Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned.

"Oh, don't worry Hinata-chan. I'm just going to look around for a bit. You guys should go and rest. All of you did some good work and need to recover your strength. I should be back by sunset." Naruto replied with a smile. Hinata eased up a bit on hearing that but still felt as if he was hiding something. Looking into his eyes, she could always say if he was being completely honest or not. But she decided to trust his words.

"Alright, be sure to come back soon okay? I'm sure Tazuna-san's daughter will have meals prepared for us." Hinata said. Naruto gave a gentle nod and walked in the other direction, towards the town. Hinata then proceeded to help Kakashi walk into the house.

* * *

 _With Naruto_

As Naruto walked through the middle of the town, he was saddened on seeing the state it was in. It was the middle of the day and there were hardly any people to be seen. A lot of the shops appeared to be broken down with a closed sign outside of it. Some of the shops which were open seemed to be inadequately stacked with products. Based on what he had seen up till now, he could see why the people of Nami no Kuni despised Gato so much. The businessman had taken away the people's livelihood and terrorized them to an extent that people barely came out of their houses. His ears suddenly picked the sound of few people arguing and when he turned to that direction, he was surprised to see a few thugs holding an old man by his collar. Naruto decided to move closer to the shop, so he could hear what they were arguing about.

"Your tax was due a week ago, old man. When do you think you're going to pay?" scowled the man who was holding the aged man's collar. The thug's two companions were standing behind him with cocky smirks on their faces.

"Please! Just give me another week. I'm still a little short of the amount." The old man said pleadingly with pure horror on his face.

"Gato wants the money now, old bastard. You were given enough time. You either pay now or lose your life." The thug stated as he took out a knife from his pocket and pointed it to the old man's neck. A few tears rolled down the old man's face as he shut his eyes in fear. He cried and hoped for someone to come and help him and the thug simply enjoyed the look of terror on the old man's face. He pointed the knife a little closer to the man's neck, drawing a small amount of blood. However, he suddenly stopped when he heard some noises behind him. Turning around, he was surprised to see his two companions down on the ground with their throats slit wide open. He suddenly backed away a little when he felt someone tap his shoulders.

"Who the hell are you?" the thug yelled when he saw a young blond boy stand beside the old man.

"No one you need to concern yourself with. So, you work for Gato, huh?" Naruto questioned calmly. The thug was yet to notice the Konoha headband on Naruto and raised his voice slightly this time.

"So, what if I do? You don't want to mess with the boss over here. He'll have you killed in no time." The thug stated quite confidently. He raised his hand holding the knife and pointed it towards Naruto who portrayed a blank face. Before the thug could even blink, he was punched in his gut and flew back, hitting the wall harshly. Naruto walked closer to the fallen man and held him up his shirt.

"Where is Gato's headquarters?" Naruto asked firmly. His rinnegan bore into the man's eyes and the thug found himself hypnotized by that strange eye.

"It's on the north-western front of Nami no Kuni. It's surrounded by trees and several missing ninjas for protection." The thug replied fearfully. Without further thought, Naruto took out a kunai and implanted it in the man's head, killing him instantly. He turned around when he heard a gasp. The old man took a few steps back in fear when he saw the young kid kill the man. Naruto's face turned a little soft on seeing that. Civilians were not used to seeing someone get killed and hence it was normal for the old man to have a look of apprehension etched on his face.

"It's alright. You're safe now. I promise you won't have any troubles from these thugs or Gato any longer. I have been sent by Konoha to rid Nami no Kuni of Gato and his men." Naruto said kindly. Still a bit in shock, the old man breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the blonde for saving his life. Naruto chuckled awkwardly, not really used to being thanked by civilians. He was just doing the job that was assigned to him. Still, he was kind of glad that he could save the old man's life.

"May I offer you something in return? Some fruits and vegetables? I apologize if I can't give you any money. Gato has imposed taxes on all the people who own shops here. And the taxes are so high, it's hard for us to save anything to support our families." The old man stated with lowered gaze. Naruto placed a comforting hand on the old man's shoulder.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to worry about anything anymore. Once Gato is gone, Nami no Kuni will be a safe place to live again." Naruto said gently. The old man wiped a few tears off his face and nodded, gratified by the young boy's words.

"But still I can't let you go empty handed. You saved my life. I have to give you something in return…" The old man insisted and looked around his store. He packed a few fruits and vegetables in a polythene bag and handed it to Naruto. Deciding to just please the old man, Naruto took the bag and sealed it into a scroll as the shop keeper looked at that in amazement. After bidding farewell to the old man, Naruto left the shop and quickly made his way towards Gato's location.

He was about a couple of miles away from Gato's base when Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks. He had to immediately jump away when he noticed a hook connected to a red chakra wire just graze past him. As he turned around, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the person standing atop the tree branch. He had greyish-blue unkempt, short spiky hair which was kept in a ponytail. He had brown horns that grew from the back of his head and wrapped around to his forehead, with a small gap in between them. He also had typically clipped eyebrows as a symbol of nobility. He wore a long-sleeved, light-colored suits with a sectioned apron over it, along with a sash and carried a small gourd strapped to his back.

"Nicely dodged, young prince." Commented the man as he jumped to the ground. Naruto tensed up as he looked at the man before him cautiously. He was definitely an Otsutsuki.

"And who might you be?" Naruto questioned. However, the unknown Otsutsuki swung his chakra rod again. Reacting quickly, Naruto lifted his arm and deflected the hook with a pulse of gravity. He jumped back to gain some distance, in case the man attacked again.

"Names don't matter at this point. But our clan has been observing this planet for the past millennia. It's a shame that Kaguya had decided to betray us for pitiful creatures such as humans." The man stated, all the while having a prideful smirk on his face.

'Is this who that man had warned me about? But, its too soon. I have no information on the Otsutsuki.' Naruto thought worriedly. He glanced towards the man before him again and wondered how he could get out of this or if there were other people with him.

"Quite worried, are you? You're the last remnant of the Otsutsuki Clan's main branch on this world. And we can't have any traitors among us." The man said again as he lunged towards Naruto. Quickly forming a black chakra rod from his palm, Naruto also moved towards the Otsutsuki as the two clashed. Putting more force, Naruto managed to push the man back slightly. Freeing one of his hands, Naruto fired few more chakra rods to the man's chest. To the blonde's surprise, another hook branched off from the man's red chakra rod and deflected the black rods thrown by him. Jumping back, Naruto formed a few hand seals and placed his palms together.

" **Suiton: Suishouha** " Naruto said as he created water from thin air to form a tidal wave all around the Otsutsuki. In a matter of second, the water around the unknown man converged on him, hitting him dead on. However, Naruto found himself on the defensive as he saw another hook coming towards him through his suiton jutsu at lightning fast speed. As Naruto attempted to dodge the attack, the hook seemed to gain more speed and before Naruto could react, the hook had pierced him straight through the chest.

"Ughh…" Naruto groaned as he fell on his knees.

"That was quite the attack, little on. Let me repay that to you…" the man said. Naruto's eyes widened as his own jutsu appeared out of the man's gourd and a large wave of water was now falling towards him. Naruto tried getting the hook off of him, but nothing seemed to work. He closed his eyes and summoned large amounts of chakra. Just as the wave was about to hit Naruto, large amounts of chakra exploded from the blonde to form an ethereal silver colored warrior holding a scythe, around him. Naruto groggily stood up as the water around him settled on the ground. Summoning all his strength, he managed to take the hook off, but was intrigued when he saw blue colored chakra surrounding the hook. Before Naruto could realize what had happened, the man retracted the hook.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you? I can see why my superiors are so interested in you." The man said with a jovial smile, which seemed to confuse Naruto. Narrowing his eyes upon his opponent, Naruto's susanoo swung the large scythe at him which the man nimbly dodged. After a couple more attempts, Naruto fell on his knees as he coughed some blood from his mouth. Even his susanoo had disappeared at this point.

'What the hell is going on? I can barely stand on my two feet. Kurama?' Naruto thought as he called to his friend. Kurama was now viewing the man before him extreme caution.

' **Naruto, you have to careful of him. What he took right now, was your chakra. And a large amount of it. I will lend you some chakra right now, but make sure you're not hit by that chakra rod of his again.** ' Kurama stated seriously. Naruto's body was soon engulfed in a thick red chakra shroud as he felt himself getting rejuvenated. He thanked his friend for the help and stood back up, once again.

"You're still too weak, young prince. Even though, you have the eyes of our clan, you don't know your own potential. You can't see your own destiny with those eyes of yours. It really is a shame." The man said with a shake of his head. Naruto remained calm as he calculated his chances of getting out of this alive. From the looks of things, the Otsutsuki wasn't even winded and Naruto highly doubted whether the man used even a fraction of his true strength.

'Kurama, I know we have never done this before. But I need your help right now. If I don't use everything I have, I don't think I can escape this situation. I hope you haven't gotten rusty?' Naruto asked his friend with a slight smirk.

' **Hmph… Let's give him all we have!** ' Kurama replied as he sat in a meditative pose and placed his palms together. Large amounts of dense yellow chakra suddenly engulfed Naruto and coated his entire body which emanated from him, reminiscent of flickering flames. Nine magatama markings now adorned Naruto's back and collar, a sort of circular design featured prominently over his stomach and his whisker like markings on the face became thicker along with a pattern consisting of rinnegan-like marking above the nine magatama also appeared on his back. With the influence of using Kurama's chakra, Naruto's pupils which were completely dilated now became slit-like; whereas his rinnegan now appeared to be red in color, his mangekyo sharingan remained the same. As the large gist of wind that had appeared around Naruto settled down, the surrounding area appeared to be completely destroyed.

"Ohhh… now, that's more like it. Show me what you can do, Naruto Uchiha Namikaze!" the man yelled loudly as he prepared himself. As Naruto steadied composed himself, he launched towards the man. Within a flash, Naruto appeared behind the man and went for a jab to his jugular. The Otsutsuki promptly turned around and swatted Naruto's hand, then aimed a punch to Naruto's gut. With lightning fast reflexes, Naruto caught the man's arm and punched him on his face. The Otsutsuki went flying back with force and hit several trees in the process. Flipping midair, the man regained his footing and blasted off towards Naruto. Naruto swiftly jumped above the man and kicked him in the back but was only able to push him a few feet away. Levitating himself in the air, Naruto pointed both his arms at the man and released a large wave of gravity towards the ground. In a few seconds, the entire ground below the Otsutsuki's feet began to shake violently followed by several trees getting uprooted from their place. The man tried jumping away but the force of gravity kept pushing him towards the ground which was making it harder for him to regain his footing. A deep crater was soon formed spanning about a mile in radius as Naruto ended his jutsu. He was amazed by how much his physical prowess, ninjutsu and speed were amplified when using the chakra cloak. This was his first time using Kurama's power and quite frankly, he never felt more power coursing through his body before.

As the Otsutsuki lifted himself from the ground, he dusted his clothing for dust and looked towards the levitating blond. While he had became familiar with the different bijuus that were scattered across this planet, he had never imagined someone to be capable enough to handle such large amounts of chakra so efficiently. He panted a little as he realized that attack had taken quite a toll on his body. He would have to stop underestimating the kid. Placing his palms together, the Otsutsuki molded large amounts of chakra and suddenly two large hands, made of stone rose from the ground and moved towards Naruto to squash him. In response, Naruto formed two large rasengans in both his hands and aimed it towards the two stone hands that were raining down on him from both sides. As the two rasengan impacted the stone hands, there was a large blast which caused the debris to fly all around the blonde. He formed a protective sphere of gravity all around him which automatically deflected any large pieces of rocks that came close to him. When he looked down, he was surprised to find the Otsutsuki to be nowhere in sight. His senses suddenly urged him to duck down as the fishing hook grazed the top of his head. He sighed in relief as he turned around to also find the man levitating.

"What is it that you wish from me?" Naruto questioned again with narrowed eyes.

"The chakra that resides in you. You have the strongest chakra on this planet. All the chakra belongs to the Otsutsuki Clan." The man stated as a matter of fact. Naruto prepared himself as he saw the man raise his arm but was confused when the space behind the man distorted to open a portal of sort.

'Jikukan ninjutsu?' Naruto thought.

"Urashiki Otsutsuki… remember the name. We shall meet again young prince. I must say, this little skirmish was quite entertaining." The man now identified as Urashiki said before disappearing from Naruto's view. Once the blonde was sure that the man had gone, he lowered himself onto the ground as his chakra cloak dissipated. He suddenly fell on the ground as he felt the toll of using such large amounts of chakra for the first time. He gasped harshly to regain his breathing. That was the toughest fight he had ever been involved in. But it also gave him an insight into what the Otsutsuki wanted with him in general.

A few minutes later, he heard some rattling noise and was surprised to see Kakashi standing beside him. From the worried look on Kakashi's face, it was safe to say that the jounin had never seen Naruto in such a terrible state. The moment he had felt Naruto's chakra he had rushed to his location. He was further alarmed when he also sensed the Kyubi's chakra. Up until now, he had never known Naruto to utilize the bijuu's chakra. But it also worried him as to who could have forced someone like Naruto to utilize the Kyubi's chakra. Looking at all the destruction around him, he was certain about one thing. This enemy would turn out to be a tremendous problem, not only for Konoha but for the entire shinobi world.

"What happened, Naruto? Who was that person?" Kakashi asked, as he picked the blonde up gently. Naruto somberly stared at the sky above him with a defeated look in his eyes. He knew he would have most likely lost the fight, if it had continued for longer. His body wasn't used to handling such copious amounts of chakra all of a sudden. He also realized that the man named Urashiki was right. He needed to learn more about his own eyes and powers. If what he understood was correct, he wasn't even close to using his entire strength and for some reason it terrified Naruto. He was certain that he'd be able to beat any shinobi if it came to a fight to death normally. But against threats like the Otsutsuki, he was merely a child.

"Urashiki Otsutsuki…" Naruto said weakly. An extremely surprised look appeared on Kakashi's face on hearing that name.

"Otsutsuki? As in related to the Rikudo…?" Kakashi said, barely in a whisper. Naruto nodded his head as he sat up. Even though he wasn't all that injured, it was his muscles that were sore and chakra coils that felt burnt up. "Just give me a minute…" Naruto said as he sat upright. He was grateful to have learnt senjutsu. His innate ability to harness the nature chakra in the world helped him quite often in tight scenarios. He immediately felt his muscles and chakra coils relax as the healing properties of the nature chakra worked its magic in Naruto. A few minutes later, Naruto stood up looking relatively refreshed from before. But one could still see signs of tiredness on Naruto's face.

"Yes, you're correct. The man identified himself as Urashiki Otsutsuki and claimed to be after the chakra that I possess." Naruto revealed. Still confused by the whole ordeal, Kakashi shook his head. All of this was simply too much for him to process at the moment.

"Let's get back to Tazuna's house. Everyone is worried. We can discuss the rest over there." Kakashi stated. Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, the two disappeared in a shunshin.

* * *

Soon enough, the two were now standing outside Tazuna's house. Naruto was surprised when Hinata immediately tackled him to the ground.

"hey, hey… it's fine… I'm okay." Naruto said soothingly on hearing light sobs from her. However, she kept hugging him tightly. A few seconds later, Naruto somehow managed to push her off of him and look her in the eyes.

"What happened? All of us sensed that large chakra emanating from you… And we were all worried. I wanted to come with sensei, but…" Hinata said haphazardly. Naruto smiled at the worried state she was in. It calmed him to know that she was this worried about him, but at the same time he cursed himself that he had in fact worried her. Holding her by the shoulders, he guided Hinata to stand on her feet.

"I'm sorry to have worried you Hinata-chan…" Naruto apologized genuinely as he hugged her again. He glanced towards Sakura and Sasuke who were standing a few meters behind and nodded to them. They too were worried about Naruto. As they went inside, Kakashi asked Tazuna and Tsunami to excuse them for a while as they discussed the matter inside the guest room they had been given.

"What was that Naruto? It felt terrifying…" Sakura asked with a shudder. She had never felt such potent chakra in her life. And it scared her slightly to imagine how powerful Naruto actually was. While Sasuke too was worried slightly, he was more intrigued by what he had felt. Even though none of them were sensors, they were still able to feel Naruto's chakra. And to be frank, it simply felt other worldly.

"What I'm about to tell you is not a myth. Do you guys know about the Rikudo Sennin?" Naruto asked with seriousness. By now, Hinata had relatively calmed down as she had noticed Naruto wasn't heavily injured. Sasuke and Hinata nodded, having heard of the legendary man in several stories. However, Sakura looked on confusedly at Naruto.

"I'm not surprised that you don't know Sakura. Rikudo Sennin is the man who was claimed to have distributed chakra among the humans and is regarded as the father of ninjutsu." It was Kakashi who stated, to clear up the girl's doubts. A look of amazement suddenly appeared on Sakura's face as she learned that.

"Rikudo Sennin's actual name was Hagoromo Otsutsuki. He belonged to the Otsutsuki Clan which is an ancient clan. The Clan resides in another dimension of space-time and from what I have learned so far, they are seeking the chakra in this planet. One of them had apprehended me just now in hopes of either capturing me or taking my chakra. I'm not sure cause, the man could have certainly killed me if he wished to." Naruto explained. Everyone in the room were speechless on hearing Naruto's account. All of this just appeared to be highly unbelievable.

"Are you serious?" Sasuke asked in bewilderment. Naruto simply nodded, as he stretched his arms and legs a little. His brother had once told him that the Uchiha Clan were direct descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. So, maybe there was some truth to what Naruto was saying.

"Do you think the man will come again?" Hinata asked. "I think so. But I believe he was just testing my strength. He may not come anytime soon but he definitely will. And this is something that needs to be notified to all the other nations too Kakashi-sensei. Tou-san needs to be notified about this as soon as we get back." Naruto said, turning towards his sensei at the end. "That seems about correct. If there is a looming threat such as this, I don't think our village can handle it alone. But, as it stands now, we'll just have to be careful." Kakashi replied pondering over the matter. They all looked towards the door when they heard a knock and Tsunami entered the room.

"I hope I'm not disturbing anything. But the food is ready. I'm sure everyone is hungry right now." She said with her kind smile.

"We'll be out soon, Tsunami-san. I appreciate you telling us." Kakashi replied with an eye smile. Sakura got up and left with Tsunami to help her set up the table. As the two left, Kakashi cleared his throat to gain Naruto's attention.

"We still need to complete the mission at hand before we do anything about what we talked about…" Kakashi replied and Naruto chuckled awkwardly as he had almost forgotten about it. There was so much going in his mind right now, it was hard for him to focus at one thing clearly.

"Zabuza may still be alive." Sasuke said getting to the task at hand. After Naruto had gone, Kakashi had presented them with that possibility. "The shinobi who claimed to a hunter ninja did not follow the proper protocol for disposing a missing ninja and may in fact be an accomplice of Zabuza." Hinata cleared the fact.

"It is possible. None of us really checked if Zabuza was indeed dead or not…" Kakashi added. As Naruto absorbed the information, he concurred with Kakashi's conclusion. His stomach suddenly growled as a silly look appeared on his face. Kakashi and Hinata chuckled on seeing Naruto's face as she scratched the back of his head. Sasuke simply shook his head at that.

"Anyway, let's go get something to eat before we decide on anything further." Kakashi said. Soon enough, the four of them walked out of the room and they were immediately hit with the delicious smell of freshly cooked food. As they sat on the table, they were surprised by the variety of food that was cooked. There was pork, beef, vegetable stew, fried rice and even some desert for the end.

"Ahhh… all of this looks so beautiful." Naruto commented with a drool forming on his face. He could probably devour everything on the table but controlled himself to show some decency. "Close your damn mouth… a fly might just enter it." Sasuke stated with a smirk. The people from Konoha suddenly became eerily quiet on hearing Sasuke's words.

"Did… you just make a joke?" Sakura said with disbelief and everyone laughed a little at the little event. Sasuke became a little irked as to how everyone was surprised at him instead. Hinata slightly nudged Naruto to show him some restraint. He would always seem to forget his manners when eating his food. A few minutes later they were joined by a little kid who looked to be about eight years of age. Without greeting anyone, he simply took his seat and started having his food. Soon enough, everyone became quiet as they savored the delicacy made by Tsunami. Tazuna and Tsunami stole a few glances at the blonde after what they had felt a while ago. They were worried that Gato may have pulled something on learning of their intentions. But, seeing as the Konoha shinobi were doing okay, they didn't voice their opinions.

"Tazuna-san, how long do you think it will take to make the bridge?" Sakura questioned to break the sudden silence had reigned over them.

"Hmm… I guess, in a week or so if I work for six or seven hours a day, provided I get help from other people in the town." Tazuna replied. While everyone had a glass of water beside them, Tazuna had his precious bottle of sake. For a moment, Naruto, Kakashi and his team wondered how the man could drink so much without ever falling ill but none of them said any word.

"Most of the people are extremely afraid of what Gato might do them. So, a lot of people who had agreed to lend a hand earlier, now backed off. Currently, there are only about four or five people more who still wish to help my father in building the bridge." Tsunami replied sadly. On hearing that, Naruto already had an idea in his mind that would certainly speed up Tazuna's work.

"I'm sure you wouldn't need to worry about Gato in a few days of time… I saw the state the town was in and it was truly sad. But, rest assured, if Gato sends anymore men after your father, we'll protect him." Naruto replied to cheer up the woman. Hinata and Sakura also nodded to show their support. A while ago when Sakura and Hinata were helping Tsunami in cooking food, she had told them about her husband Kaiza who was humiliated in front of the whole town and killed. They were appalled by the injustice Gato had done on this town and wanted to make the man pay.

"You will just die… why even bother?" they all heard the voice and looked towards the kid with surprise.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked rather angrily.

"I said, you'll just die. If you go up against Gato, he'll just hire stronger shinobi to kill all of you!" replied the kid angrily. Tazuna and Tsunami looked at him with sadness in their eyes while the Konoha shinobi were quite confused with such a reaction. Sasuke was about to retort the kid for babbling such insolence but stopped when he saw Sakura's pleading eyes. He scoffed at the kid and returned to his dinner.

"Inari, don't say such things. These shinobi have protected your grandfather on the way here. And I'm sure they'll protect him during his work too." Tsunami said to him as she placed a hand on his cheek. However, Inari simply shook off her hand in retaliation.

"What makes you think we'll die? Do you not hope that things will get better someday?" Naruto questioned. He was interested in knowing why the kid had such nihilistic views. Inari stared at the blonde grumpily for a few seconds before he stood up from his chair.

"There is no such thing as hope! My grandpa told me you're super strong but where were you when my father was killed two years when he asked Konoha for help? Konoha wasn't able to do anything then and even now you'll just get killed like the others." Inari ranted. Naruto widened his eyes as he realized who the kid was talking about. He felt saddened at the fact that the kid lost his father at such a young age. But, then again, he did not wish for the kid to have such a bad outlook on the world.

"There is always hope, Inari. You may not believe it now, but sooner or later you'll see it with your own eyes. There is a lot of darkness in this world and it's true that a lot of people go through some dreadful experiences. I, too have lost several people that were close to me, but I still have hope. I too had almost given up, but my friends had made me realize, it's not over until you give up. The moment you lose hope within yourself, is the moment you can no longer step forward." Naruto stated calmly. He could understand the boy's pain and sympathized with him.

"Just shut up! You're wrong! You're wrong" Inari cried as he ran upstairs, leaving his food cold on the table. Tsunami was about to go after him, when she was stopped by her father. "Give him some time. It hasn't been easy on him… or any of us." Tazuna said, and for once everyone could see the tired look on the old bridge builder's face. Someone who was barely hanging on to life. Once again, the living room fell silent. While Tsunami and Tazuna were worried about Inari, the Konoha shinobi thought about the injustice that Nami no Kuni had been suffering under Gato's rule.

* * *

 _Gato's headquarters, later at night_

Gato worriedly sat in his chair inside his office with a look of apprehension on his face. Having been associated with black-market for several years, he had heard the name of Shiroi Shinigami. So, when he had learned from Zabuza that the shinobi himself that come to Nami no Kuni to help that wretched builder, he was concerned about his work in this nation. And from the catastrophe just outside his headquarters his men had told him about a while ago, he was certain it was the work of the Shiroi Shinigami. For a moment, he cursed himself for crossing Konoha's path. For a while, he had been transporting goods to the group called Akatsuki through Hi no Kuni. He believed th Hokage would not get wind of his works in the Fire nation, but now he realized how wrong he was. The Hokage would not send someone like Naruto Namikaze unless he wished to remove him from power.

Even though, he had more than hundreds of people working under him as his protection, he knew none of them would last against that man. Even Zabuza was down for a few days, who had fought another Konoha jounin. Even though it would cost him millions of money, his only other option was to hire a couple of shinobi from the Akatsuki to take care of the Namikaze. It was better to lose some money than his grip on this nation. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. Two shinobi dressed in high collared black robes with red clouds on it, entered the room. The two Akatsuki members stared at the small man for a few seconds before one of them spoke.

"Do you have the money you promised for this mission?" asked Hiruko.

"What the hell are you talking about? I wouldn't pay now. Once I know that the Konoha shinobi are dead, only then." Gato stated with a scowl. Kisame chuckled at the man's response and placed his large on the man's desk, cracking it a little.

"I advise you pay up now. My partner over here will not hesitate in killing you, if you don't." replied Hiruko calmly. Gato took a few steps back in fear at the large man's imposing figure. Debating with himself for a few seconds, he nodded. Opening his drawer, he took out a bag and handed it to the shorter shinobi. Hiruko opened the bag to check it's content and once satisfied, he enclosed it within a scroll and put it in his pouch. "Rest assured, Shiroi Shinigami will be taken care of." And with that, the two Akatsuki members disappeared from the office without any trace. The two of them then appeared on the battle scene of Naruto and Urashiki, to inspect the area. They were close to the borders of Nami no Kuni when they were contacted by Gato about this matter. Even they had felt Naruto's chakra and were greatly intrigued as to what could have prompted him to use such power. Kisame was practically giddy at the prospect of having to battle his target. He hadn't had a good fight in a long time and he knew for a fact that the Shiroi Shinigami wouldn't disappoint him.

"Remember Kisame, we are not here to capture the Kyubi jinchuriki. Leader-sama had warned us we'd most likely lose our life if we were to apprehend him alone. We are just to test his strength and report our findings to leader-sama. The kid has grown to be overwhelmingly powerful." Hiruko stated.

"It doesn't matter. I just want to test his strength for my own satisfaction. Anyway, why don't we just kill Gato and be done with him then? He won't be of any use to us…" Kisame replied.

"Considering that Konoha had sent the Kyubi here, I can only assume it's to assassinate Gato. Let them deal with him. He's no longer our problem… It's interesting that someone out there exists who could push Naruto Namikaze to such levels. I had definitely sensed him using the Kyubi's chakra. This is an intriguing development." Hiruko said, as he looked around. His eyes noticed several black rods on the ground. As he touched one, he immediately jerked his hand off them as he felt foreign chakra enter his body. 'What the hell was that?' Hiruko thought shiftily. He had noticed similar black rods on his leader's face and always wondered as to what they were. Opening an empty scroll from within his pouch, he placed it beside the black rods. Performing a few hand seals, Hiruko sealed a few broken pieces of the black rod for further inspection later. Meanwhile, Kisame looked around at the amount of water still lying around in the area and got further excited at the prospect that the Namikaze might turn out an impeccable suiton user. He could hardly control himself at this point.

* * *

Naruto currently sat deep within the forests in a meditative pose, focusing on his chakra. Even though, he had almost perfect control of his chakra, he wasn't entirely satisfied. The way he had observed Urashiki utilize chakra in his fight was on a completely different level. With his rinnegan, he had observed that Urashiki was able to mold chakra instantaneously. Unlike even the most skilled shinobi who took at least a second to mold chakra after performing hand seals, Urashiki did it unconsciously.

He had come to understand that during a battle, a shinobi wasted quite a bit of precious time performing hand seals or thinking about their next attack. If he could somehow make molding chakra for different jutsus and his taijutsu a natural instinct, he could certainly remove the limitation on his reflexes. Although, all of that was just a concept in his mind and Naruto wasn't even sure how to go around it. Moreover, until now he never really cared about using Kurama's chakra in a fight. And, he found his chakra coils to be highly strained after using it today against Urashiki. As he meditated, Naruto was also circulating a good amount of Kurama's chakra through his chakra coils to adapt to using bijuu chakra. While he knew, he wouldn't need it in most scenarios, he did wish to have it mastered. Especially against unlikely enemies, such as the one he faced today.

' **You felt that didn't you?** ' Kurama asked. Naruto nodded as he had felt someone touch one of his chakra rods momentarily.

'Yeah, I did. And it was defiantly a shinobi.' Naruto replied. ' **Are you going to go and check?** '

'I don't wish to fight right now. It's possible that it was a random shinobi working under Gato who had come to check the area. There's no need to worry about that. We need to finish this mission quickly and get back to Konoha.' Naruto thought.

* * *

 _Unknown area_

"Did you get it?" asked a man. He had a tall figure and wore a simple white kimono with a hood covering his face. His gaze lingered at the vast expanse of stars and planets above him. A few hundred feet beside stood a humungous tree whose height knew no bounds. At the top of the tree was a bud which appeared to be in its dormant state.

"Certainly…" stated Urashiki as he took out his hook which was surrounded by Naruto's chakra. The man absorbed the chakra through his palms and breathed a sigh of relief.

"We lost over half our people fighting Takeshiki-sama alone. Even though the boy was born a human, he has strongly inherited the powers of the Otsutsuki. Even now, I can sense the dormant powers that lay within him. Kaguya and Naruto Otsutsuki need to perish for the survival of the branch family. How has the boy's powers grown?" the man questioned.

"He's an impressive one, my lord. The Shinju's powers were scattered into nine tailed beasts on earth by Hagoromo, Kaguya's child. And Naruto holds the most powerful of them all, the Kyubi no Kitsune. His ability to harness chakra is quite admirable too but the boy can certainly grow a lot more. Although, he seems to have no clue about the true potential of his eyes." Urashiki explained briefly. The man nodded on hearing about Naruto.

"There's a great deal of loss written in the boy's future. Very soon, the time will come when he'll awaken the powers to create and destroy. Keep an eye on the boy, Urashiki. Four earth years from now, is when the boy's will, will be at it's weakest. I shall then send Momoshiki, Kinshiki and you to harness the boy's powers." The man stated as he closed his eyes. Urashiki bowed gratefully before his king as he slowly disappeared.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes:**_ _ **To make thing clear, Gaara is still alive. Naruto and his friends are all 14 years as of now.**_ _ **Now, for team seven, they will be involved in the coming fights against Zabuza and Haku much more heavily. Whereas, Naruto will be confronting Kisame and Hiruko and would try to learn more about the Akatsuki.**_ _ **Once the chunin exams get over, the Akatsuki will become more active in hunting down the jinchuriki. As of now, they already have the two, four and five tails with only the two tails being sealed.**_

 _ **I had to make slight changes to the ending of the story I had originally decided. Hence, the Nami no Kuni mission had to be extended up to the next chapter. With the arrival of Urashiki Otsutsuki, Naruto gets a newfound motivation to improve his skills even further. Early on in this story, when Naruto had just awakened the rinnegan, he often dreamt about fighting against three enemies whose powers could be compared to that of gods. Well, now you can guess, who those three could be. I do have a pretty good way for Kaguya's and Madara's involvement later on, in the story. The identity of the man speaking to Urashiki will be revealed much later in the story, but you guys are free to guess who it may be. When the real Madara gets introduced into the story, he will have a great amount of influence on Naruto's character.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! Appreciate all the reviews that are being left! It makes me really delighted!**_

 **Until next time!**


	22. Chapter 22

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Hope**

* * *

Naruto lay asleep on the soft grass as the bright rays of the sun shone through the canopy of trees. For most part of the night, the blonde had spent meditating to clear his mind and in pursuit to better understand his chakra. Even though, he knew what chakra was, it was still such a mysterious thing to him. Several questions had brazed through his mind like- similar to humans, did chakra have a consciousness of it's own? If one could summon souls from the pure world to the land of the living, did it mean that chakra has the ability to grant life and death, more essentially, did chakra have the ability to create life. Considering that the Rikudo Sennin had basically created consciousness for the bijuu out of nothing with his rinnegan, could he also do the same thing? There were so many questions in uncharted territories such as these and it frustrated Naruto that he couldn't find the answers to them.

He stirred a little as the bright sunrays fell directly on his eyes. He kept his eyes closed, still somewhat tired from all the fighting yesterday. He breathed a content sigh as he enjoyed the gentle breeze that was flowing in the area. It was certainly refreshing to be near the shores. Extending his senses slightly, he could feel the life force of all the living beings around him, the chirping of the birds, the squirrels sitting atop some of the trees and for a moment, Naruto truly felt delight in being alive. The essence of life was indeed a beautiful thing. He was intrigued when he felt a familiar chakra approach him and realized it was the shinobi who had disguised himself as the Kiri Hunter ninja. Interested to see what the person would do, Naruto pretended to be asleep on the ground as the person came close to him.

The shinobi knelt beside Naruto with a sort of amused as well as confused look on his face. Confused cause the person did expect someone like the Shiroi Shinigami to be leisurely napping in the middle of the forest and amused because of the nonchalant look on Naruto's face. Naruto immediately opened his eyes and spooked the person, making him jump back.

"I apologize for disturbing you…" Naruto stared at the beautiful face in front of him momentarily. The person had an androgynous look with long black hair, pale skin, dark brown eyes and a slender frame. For second Naruto considered the person before him to be even prettier than Sakura and Hinata but shook his head at the wild thoughts that were forming in his mind.

"No, it's quite alright. You don't have to apologize." Naruto replied with a small smile as he stood up. He noticed the small basket the person was carrying and asked, "Are you collecting herbs for something?"

"You have a keen eye. You're right. Someone close to me was injured recently. And I'm here to collect some medicinal herbs for treatment." Said the person in a gentle voice. Yet again, Naruto was surprised at the pure devotion he could sense from him. For a mere second, he was saddened by the fact that his team would most likely have to face him in battle.

"Are you a shinobi?" The person asked as he noticed the Konoha headband on Naruto's forehead.

"Hai. That I am. My name's Naruto Namikaze." The blonde introduced himself. "And what might your name be?"

"Haku…" replied the person as Naruto nodded. They became quiet for a few seconds, not sure what to say exactly. While Haku knew exactly who the person before him was, he didn't wish to reveal his true identity and Naruto simply played along for the fun of it. "Do you want me to help you out in picking the medicinal herbs? It would be faster if both of us looked for it…" suggested Naruto.

"That does sound good. I'm glad for your help." Haku said. The two then moved further into the forests and looked around for any viable herbs that could be used for healing. About half an hour passed as both had collected quite a good amount. Haku stole a few glances towards Naruto in astonishment. He was surprised at the kind and gentle behavior portrayed by a shinobi of his caliber.

"Do you have a dream, Naruto-san?" Haku asked genuinely. Surprised by the question, Naruto pondered over it for a few seconds.

"I wish to protect those who are close to me. I don't ever want to lose anyone close to me…" Naruto stated with a somber look.

"That is a noble dream, Naruto-san. I believe the true strength of a person emerges when they genuinely wish to protect someone they love." Haku replied as he placed a few more herbs in his basket. Once again, Naruto found himself staring at Haku, amazed at the gentle soul he possessed. Naruto became quiet as he focused on collecting herbs. After about ten minutes, once both were done, the blonde hesitated for a second, considering if he should warn Haku or not.

"Zabuza is lucky to have someone like you beside him. I truly wished we didn't have to face each other in battle." Naruto said. Haku suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at the blonde with slightly wide eyes. "I'm a sensor and I remember your chakra signature from before." Naruto clarified. Haku immediately took out a kunai from under his kimono and stood his ground.

"I do not wish to fight you, Haku. I truly do not. But, if you oppose us on the bridge, you'll certainly meet your end." Said Naruto with a saddened look.

"I will go wherever Zabuza-sama goes. If I'm destined to die in the future battle, then so be it. I'm merely a tool for him to use as he wishes. But, until the moment I draw breath in this world, I shall not abandon Zabuza-sama's side." Replied Haku passionately. Seeing the resolve in Haku's eyes, Naruto understood there was no swaying him from his decision. He shook his head slightly, saddened that a beautiful soul such as his might perish in a few days.

"Well, then… I suppose all I can do is wish you luck. But, if my friends are harmed in any way, there won't be a place in this world you can hide from me." Naruto stated with hardened eyes. Before Haku could say anything further, Naruto shunshined out of the area to Tazuna's house.

* * *

 _Tazuna's house_

As Naruto arrived in Tazuna's house, he found Tsunami to be sitting on the table and sipping on her tea while reading the newspaper.

"Oh, Naruto-san, where had you been all night? Your friends were quite worried." Tsunami said on seeing Naruto's presence. She still found it quite unbelievable that shinobi could just appear out of anywhere. It would certainly take her some time to sink into that feeling.

"There's nothing to worry, Tsunami-san. I was just out in the woods training at night and I fell asleep over there." Naruto replied kindly. The woman smiled at the blonde's response and nodded.

"Hinata-san and Sakura-san are upstairs, getting fresh. Kakashi-san and Sasuke-san have accompanied my father to the bridge to oversee his work. Oh, before I forget, Kakashi-san asked you to meet him at the bridge when you come back." Tsunami reminded. Naruto nodded and immediately went upstairs to meet Hinata and Sakura before leaving for the bridge.

However, as soon as he opened the door to the guest room, an evident blush creeped up his face at the sight before him. Hinata was taking out spare clothes from her backpack while she was wrapped by only a towel around her. Naruto found himself mesmerized by the droplets of water dripping from her wet hair onto her bare shoulders. As his gaze lingered down, below her face, he gulped audibly at her large bust. Hinata immediately froze as she heard someone's sound and quickly turned towards the door. She suddenly found herself self-conscious and covered herself with her arms.

"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata yelled in embarrassment.

"I swear, I didn't see anything, Hinata-chan!" Naruto also yelled in reply as he covered his eyes with his hands quickly. He swiftly turned around to not gaze at her through the gaps of his fingers. "You can change now, Hinata-chan. I… uhm didn't mean to peer." Naruto stuttered a little. The blonde was confused when instead of being smacked on his head, he heard her tender giggle.

A few minutes later, once Hinata had changed into her shinobi gear, she approached Naruto and hugged him from behind. And, Naruto couldn't stop himself from thinking about what he had seen. 'Oh my god… That was…' Naruto thought with perverse chuckle in his mind. He suddenly felt Hinata move back and turned around to look at her. "Were you thinking about something perverted, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked with a glare. Naruto took a few steps back in fear. At this moment, he understood the fear Jiraiya felt when he got caught peeking at women in the hot springs.

"Of course not, Hinata-chan… why would you think something like that?" Naruto stated with an awkward chuckle. He again stepped back a little as Hinata approached him with slow steps.

"It's alright. I know, it was an accident." Hinata suddenly said with a small wink. Naruto's eyes widened at her playfulness and now he felt quite silly frankly. Walking towards her, Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Na… Naruto-kun?" And this time, Hinata stuttered as a light blush covered her face. He inched his face closer to hers and Hinata closed her eyes in anticipation. She felt shivers run through her spine when she felt his warm breath on her skin and couldn't help but feel all tingly. Naruto softly kissed the tip of her nose and whispered into her ears, "Two can play the game, Hinata-chan…" Naruto said with a giggle. Hinata softly smacked him over his chest as her mind registered Naruto's words.

"Get a room, you guys!" groaned Sakura as she suddenly walked into the room unannounced. Hinata and Naruto promptly let go of each other and looked at the pink-haired girl in slight embarrassment.

"Well, technically speaking… we are in a room…" Naruto stated with a smirk. However, he was suddenly hit in the head with the towel Sakura was holding in her hand. "Don't try to act smart Naruto." Sakura exasperated. Naruto slumped his shoulders at the girl's reaction as a sad aura seemed to surround him that caused Sakura and Hinata laughed at his childish behavior. Even though Naruto was rumored to be the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations, he could often act as a mere child. Hinata smiled slightly at the smile that was now present on Naruto's face. This was one of the little things that she loved about him so much.

"Anyway, I think we should rendezvous with Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke at the bridge. It's almost eleven now." Naruto said, pointing towards the clock in the room.

"We know Naruto-kun. We were going to go there before you showed up." Hinata said. Once Sakura and Hinata had taken their necessary belongings, the three of them immediately left for the bridge.

 _At the bridge_

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura arrived at the scene of Tazuna and three more people cutting pieces of wood for the bridge while Kakashi and Sasuke idly sat at the side. Naruto wasn't surprised to see Kakashi's eyes glued to the small book in his hand. The three then walked towards their team.

"So, what are we supposed to do Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi looked up from his book and thought about it for a few seconds before looking at Sakura.

"Well, seeing as how Zabuza's threat is still imminent, you guys should most likely prepare yourself for the fight. However, I doubt if he'll show up for another three or four days." Kakashi replied. "Hmm… maybe I should take you guys to train while Naruto keeps watch over here for the day. Sasuke and I have been sitting here for quite a few hours…" Kakashi added as he glanced towards the blonde.

"Yeah, that would be better. Sitting over here whilst doing nothing is simply a waste of time." Sasuke commented as he got up from the ground. He had been pretty annoyed this whole time from doing nothing and he'd rather do something productive. Sakura and Hinata also concurred with their sensei's decision. Even though, they were able to help Kakashi a little in his fight against Zabuza, none of them were ready to fight an experienced jounin all alone.

"I'll see you later, guys!" Naruto waved to them as the other members of team seven walked away. Once the group were out of sight, Naruto turned his attention towards Tazuna and his helpers. He might as well offer the old man some help while he was here.

"Tazuna-san? Do you need some help?" Naruto asked as he walked towards him. Tazuna wiped some sweat from his face with his hand towel and turned towards the blonde.

"Unless you can provide me with more people to help, I don't see how you'll be helpful…" Tazuna replied sarcastically. The other people beside him also laughed at the comment, unaware of the smirk that had formed on Naruto's face. Making a single hand seal, Naruto formed over fifty kage bunshins of himself.

"What the hell?" yelled one of the people as he saw several replicas of Naruto now standing before him.

"Will these many be enough?" Naruto asked with a smirk. Tazuna dumbly nodded his head, not sure what to say at this point. Although, he was glad that with these many hands helping, the work on the bridge would get completed in a few days of time. All of Naruto's clones except one joined Tazuna to help out. "Scout the area around Gato's headquarters and let me know of all the details. Also, find out where exactly his office is and the place where he keeps all the important documents. If you come across anything suspicious, dispel instantly and let me know." Naruto ordered firmly. The clone heeded Naruto's words and immediately shunshined from the area. Seeing as he had nothing to do for the time being, Naruto decided to simply lay under the shade of a nearby tree.

 _With Kakashi and genins_

Kakashi and the genins stood in a small clearing, relatively close to the bridge as well as Tazuna's house. The three genins intently looked towards their sensei as Kakashi pondered on what to train them in. While the three of them were quite proficient when it came to ninjutsu, he realized they could still improve their taijutsu to a great extent. Having trained with a taijutsu master like Maito Gai for decades, Kakashi had come to learn the importance of being proficient in that art. It was common for shinobi to focus more on ninjutsu, genjutsu, kenjutsu and even fuinjutsu while overlooking taijutsu. Only the shinobi from the Hyuga Clan considered taijutsu to be of utmost importance since their clan's specialty revolved around using their doujutsu in conjugation with hand to hand combat. He would definitely need to come up with a proper schedule if he wanted to teach the three of them anything important that could be used in the midst of battle.

"Hinata, how are you coming along in juken? Have been able to master some of the advanced techniques?" Kakashi questioned.

"I have been working on Hakke Rokujuyon Sho and another secret technique of our clan. So far, I have only been able to strike thirty-two tenketsu points continuously. Any more than that and I fall short of breath, losing the momentum in the process." Hinata replied after a moment of thought. Making a cross hand seal, Kakashi made a single shadow clone, who appeared beside him.

"I believe, I can get you started on an exercise to improve your stamina further. Follow my clone and he'll help you out." Kakashi said. Kakashi's clone and Hinata moved about two hundred meters east of their current location to get some distance.

"Now, moving on to you Sakura… since you're interested in medical ninjutsu, there isn't much I can teach you in that department. But I can teach you to improve your control over suiton chakra. I might not be as good as Naruto when it comes to Suiton, but I do have a few handy tricks. Suiton is a good affinity to have for those who wish to practice medical ninjutsu. So, I suppose, luck is on your side." Kakashi said with an eye smile. Sakura beamed at that suggestion. She had been meaning to improve her control over the water element but was running out of ideas on how to do so. She had thought about approaching Tsunade a while back but was afraid if the sannin would have the time to teach a genin such as her.

"That sounds good, Kakashi-sensei. If I'm able to improve my chakra control further, I could even attempt some mid-level medical ninjutsu. It's hard to do everything when you only have a book to help you…" Sakura replied with a small laugh. Kakashi made another clone, which accompanied Sakura towards a river, close by.

"So, Sasuke are you ready to try what we talked about this morning?" Kakashi asked, as his face turned serious. Sasuke too straightened up upon hearing his words.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I'm tired of not being able to improve my skills any further. Itachi was a lot stronger than I am at my age and Naruto is on whole another level. I hate feeling so weak compared to those two." Sasuke stated as he clenched his fists. Earlier this morning on the bridge, Kakashi had spoken to him about his strengths. Even though, he had managed to get considerably strong on his own so far, he did need someone to nudge him in the right direction. To give him that little spark of motivation. And currently, Kakashi was the perfect person to teach him. Unknown to him, the two of them shared quite similar life where both had lost a lot of people close to them at a very young age.

"Alright, I will teach you the basics, but you'll have to put in a lot of effort to master the jutsu." Kakashi warned. Sasuke nodded confidently. He was willing to do anything to acquire more power. The look in Sasuke's eyes unsettled Kakashi a little. It was certainly good to be motivated to get stronger, but depending on the reasons, a person's nature could go both ways.

"Use your sharingan and watch closely." Kakashi said. He performed six hand seals at a slow pace and then held his right hand. His hand suddenly began sparkling with electricity and it sounded like a thousand birds chirping. Sasuke had noticed all the details that went into this jutsu- the amount of chakra required, the way the chakra was molded inside the body and the execution. He was surprised how highly concentrated the electricity was around the hand and the potency of the jutsu was quite extraordinary as well.

"This is called the Chidori. There is a much powerful version called, Raikiri but that takes a large amount of chakra and even better chakra control to be able to perform. So, it's better if you start of with this. Since, you can already gather raiton chakra in the palm of your hand, all you need to work on is concentrating all the raiton chakra at a single point in your hand. From there on, spread the electricity formed to your fingertips." Kakashi explained. Upon closer inspection, Sasuke noticed that Kakashi's palm was indeed straight. His sharingan also showed him that the raiton chakra originated from the middle of Kakashi's palm, travelled upwards to his fingertips and then coated the entire palm.

"Once you are able to perform it effortlessly, you'll have mastered chakra manipulation for raiton and then move onto shape manipulation. Get started now." Kakashi said, relaxing his features slightly. Sasuke nodded and proceeded to gather raiton chakra over his palm. As his hand began sparkling with electricity, he tried focusing it all to a single point. His face began to sweat a bit as he concentrated more, but soon enough, the raiton chakra dissipated. He panted a little as that proved to be quite exhausting.

'Damn it…' thought Sasuke with a frown. Kakashi chuckled on seeing the evident frown on Sasuke's face. Even though, he had given a simple explanation about this jutsu, mastering it was a lot harder than it sounded.

As evening approached Nami no Kuni, Naruto still sat idly under the tree while Tazuna worked on building the bridge. He was quite impressed with the man's working methods and his speed. Despite being old, Tazuna still possessed the skills of an excellent craftsman. His clone which had gone to scout Gato's headquarters had dispelled a couple of hours ago, providing him with the necessary information about his layout. He decided to wait it out a few days and see if Gato makes any other move. It would be better to deal with all the obstacles that may arrive while Tazuna completed the bridge. Essentially, Naruto wanted to make Gato run out of options before ultimately finishing him off. He was brought of his thoughts when he heard a small argument break out between Tazuna and his co-workers.

"But, why do you want to quit now? With all the help we have, we can finish the bridge in under five days." Tazuna said tiredly.

"That doesn't matter to me, Tazuna. You must understand, you may have protection, but my family does not. If Gato even gets to know that I have been helping you, there's no telling what he might do to our family. Or have you forgotten what happened with Kaiza? I don't wish for such a fate to befall my family." The man said apologetically. Two more people also seemed to agree with the young man who had brought up this point.

"But, look at it from my point of view. Once the bridge is completed, we can open businesses with other land and earn money to support our family. This bridge will give us a chance to free ourselves from under Gato's rule." Tazuna pleaded. The three lowered their gaze as they knew the truth in Tazuna's words. But the fear that had settled in their hearts wasn't something that could be dwindled by mere words. One again, they apologized to Tazuna and walked away from the bridge. Too afraid to stand up to a tyrant such as Gato who had made a mockery of the town's people. Tazuna remained quiet for a while as he saw their retreating backs. He was angered and even sad that no one was willing to do anything to improve their life in their own land.

"Fine. Get lost! I don't need your help. I will complete the bridge on my own." Tazuna yelled in frustration. However, Tazuna was somewhat glad that there was at least one person beside him, who still wished to help. Naruto quietly looked at the scene before him and was saddened at the situation Tazuna was in. He was a lone man standing against the cruelty in Nami no Kuni. This had further solidified his resolve to end Gato's life once the bridge would get completed. At this point, Naruto wanted nothing more than to help the people of Nami no Kuni and bring justice to those who were wronged.

* * *

 _Few days later_

Five days had passed by since Tazuna had begun working on the bridge. With Naruto's clones helping him, Tazuna had managed to complete about seventy percent of the construction and would be done in a couple more days. It was early in the morning and everyone was awake apart from Naruto. Since the blonde had stayed up for most of the night, training out, he was soundly asleep at the moment. Kakashi and his team were waiting downstairs for Tazuna to arrive, so they could accompany him to the bridge.

In the last five days, Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke had worked tirelessly to improve their skills by even a fraction. Kakashi had warned them that today might be the day Zabuza might decide to attack again. While Kakashi had planned to face Zabuza alone, he expected his genins to take care of Zabuza's accomplice who had disguised as the Hunter ninja earlier.

"Sensei, are you sure we don't need to wake Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. While she was quite certain that with Sasuke and Sakura's help, they'll be able to handle the fake hunter ninja, she still felt that the blonde should accompany them to the bridge. Just in case, Gato decided to hire more shinobi this time around.

"Ah, don't worry Hinata. We'll be fine. Moreover, if Gato decides to send some goons to Tazuna's house while we are there, Naruto can easily deal with them. So, you see, it's better if Naruto is here." Kakashi stated. Hinata nodded as she understood Kakashi's point. She hadn't really thought about that aspect and now found herself to be quite silly. Shortly after that, Tazuna came down with his tools all packed up and the group soon left the house towards the bridge.

As the group arrived at the bridge, the Konoha shinobi became slightly alarmed as they found a person lying dead on the bridge. Tazuna stumbled back as he gazed upon his friend's lifeless body. The only person who was willing stick with him was now dead because of his insistence. A slight mist now formed in the area, as Kakashi and his team steadied themselves.

"Sensei, Zabuza and the fake hunter ninja are standing at the end of the bridge." Hinata informed as she looked around with her byakugan.

"Everyone, you know what to do. Leave Zabuza to me and go after his accomplice." Kakashi commanded. Sasuke gripped his katana firmly, excited to have a battle. Once again, killing intent flooded the area but this time the genins handled themselves much better than the previous time. Even though the three were still a bit apprehensive but backing down was not an option for them.

"This won't end like the last time, Kakashi. You will die today at my hands." Commented Zabuza as he stepped forward with his large sword rested on his shoulders. Kakashi and the genins now saw the young person who was standing beside Zabuza, wearing the same mask as before. Zabuza noticed that the blonde shinobi was not with them and chuckled. He would make sure skewer Kakashi with his sword today.

"You're right, Zabuza. It won't be the same as before." Kakashi replied firmly. Zabuza glanced towards Haku and wordlessly, the boy ran towards the three genins. Zabuza performed a single hand seal as the mist in the area became much thicker. Kakashi and the genins also ran forward towards the pair.

Once again, Kakashi blocked Zabuza's large sword with his kunai and aimed a kick towards with his left leg. Zabuza jumped over the leg and applied more pressure to his sword, forcing Kakashi to jump back a little. Without wasting any time, Zabuza jumped towards the Konoha jounin and performed a vertical swing with his sword. Kakashi was amazed by Zabuza's physical prowess, to be able to handle that large sword so effortlessly was indeed saying something. With quick reflexes, Kakashi rolled to his side and threw several kunais towards the swordsman in a quick motion. As soon as the kunais hit Zabuza, he dissolved into water and suddenly appeared behind Kakashi with his sword inches away from the white-haired shinobi's neck. To Zabuza's surprise, Kakashi burst into smoke as his sword cleaved the one before him.

'That was close… I need to do something about this mist. It's hampering with my vision and provides an advantage to Zabuza to move around silently.' Kakashi thought analytically. For a second, he wondered how the genins were doing, and his question was soon answered by Zabuza. "Consider those kids to be done soon enough. Haku possess more natural talent me and is easily jounin level. Even I find it hard to face him when he gets serious." Zabuza stated with a laugh. Kakashi cursed on hearing that. He lifted his headband to reveal his sharingan. He would need to wrap this up quickly.

Sasuke and Hinata were having quite a hard time fighting against Zabuza's accomplice. Even with both of them attacking simultaneously, the person was nimble and agile enough to get out harms way at the last second. Sasuke swung his katana horizontally as he came within arm's length to the masked shinobi and Hinata threw several kunais coated in raiton chakra from the side. The masked shinobi deflected Sasuke's sword with his kunai while also forming one handed seals with his free hand. A water wall suddenly formed beside the masked shinobi that easily stopped the kunais thrown by Hinata. Freeing one hand from his katana, Sasuke went for a punch, seeing as the shinobi's concentration was a tad bit divided. However, Sasuke had to immediately jump back as several spikes made of water formed from the water wall and proceeded towards him. As he jumped back, he performed a few hand seals. Hinata also swiftly began forming the hand seals as she Sasuke jump back.

" **Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu** " Sasuke said, releasing a large ball of fire from his mouth.

" **Raiton: Kousen no jutsu** " Hinata stated as she released a bright beam of electricity from her hands towards the masked shinobi. The two jutsu quickly rained down upon the shinobi who hardly had any time to react. Sasuke and Hinata regrouped as the two jutsu collided with their target. However, as the smoke cleared, their eyes widened in surprise when they saw an ice dome covering their opponent.

"Kekkei genkai?" Hinata asked in surprise. Sasuke remained silent as he observed the jutsu carefully with his sharingan.

"That was an impressive attack, you two. But, it's not enough to take me down." Stated the person flatly as he made another hand seal. " **Suiton: Sensatsu Suisho** " Several hundred water needles suddenly materialized behind the masked shinobi and rained down towards Hinata and Sasuke. Some of them were aimed towards Sakura and Tazuna. Sakura quickly performed several hand seals and erected a mud wall around Tazuna and herself. With quick and dancing feet, Sasuke and Hinata were able to deflect most of the water needles, but they groaned in pain when some of them passed their defenses to hit them. Once the attack had finally seemed to end, Sasuke and Hinata were panting heavily while also sprouting some major wounds. Hinata fell on one knee as she tried to catch her breath. Sasuke glanced towards her and knew she wouldn't last much longer. He wouldn't admit it openly, but that last attack by the masked shinobi had taken a lot out of them. Still, he kept himself focused, sheathed his katana back and calmed his breathing. The masked shinobi looked on intrigued at the genins as he remained in his place. It was not his wish to kill these kids, but for the sake of his master, he shall do anything.

Sasuke opened his eyes and a defiant look was now present in them. He hadn't mastered the Chidori completely, but he had gotten better in manipulating raiton chakra over the past few days. A small shroud of raiton chakra covered his body, as Sasuke gritted his teeth. He still hadn't gotten used to circulating electricity through his entire body and it certainly pained every cell. But this way he could increase his speed and reaction time exponentially. The masked shinobi was highly surprised at the level of chakra manipulation shown by Sasuke. He steadied himself as Sasuke launched towards him. Before he could even blink, Sasuke appeared beside him and jabbed him across the neck that flung him away. Not stopping there, Sasuke took out his kunai and speedily threw it towards the masked shinobi who was still midair. However, the shinobi quickly flipped to land on the ground and in a show of impressive speed, deflected all the kunais with precision. However, the very next second Sasuke appeared in front of him and before the masked shinobi could react, he was kneed in the stomach painfully. To Sasuke's surprise, the shinobi dissolved into snow and he had to immediately duck to avoid a punch aimed to the back of his head.

Seeing that he missed, the masked shinobi jumped back to gain some distance. By now, Hinata had joined back with Sasuke as the two Konoha genins once again stood before their opponent. Hinata was surprised by how strong Sasuke had gotten over the past few weeks. His manipulation with raiton chakra was a whole lot better than her own. Yet, with her byakugan, she had easily noticed the toll it was taking on Sasuke's body.

"How long can you keep that up, Sasuke?" Hinata asked seriously. Sasuke scoffed lightly on being asked that question, but replied nonetheless. "Few more minutes." The two of them immediately rushed towards the masked shinobi. Sasuke reached him first and threw a kick to his right which the shinobi blocked his left arm. Simultaneously, Hinata appeared beside Sasuke aimed a single finger to the shinobi's chest. An ice spike suddenly rose from the ground that forced Hinata and Sasuke to back away a few feet. But, before the two genins could make another move, the masked shinobi quickly performed a few hand seals.

" **Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho** " The masked shinobi uttered as a dome of several floating ice mirrors formed around the two Konoha genins. Yet again, to their surprise, the shinobi entered one of the mirrors and disappeared inside of them. However, everyone on the bridge suddenly froze when they felt an unnaturally large chakra wash over them. Kakashi promptly jumped above another of Zabuza's swing and used the large sword as support to back flip, to gain some distance. 'What is this? This isn't Naruto's chakra.' Kakashi thought worriedly. Zabuza laughed as he knew exactly who this chakra belonged to. He glanced towards his team and his eyes widened worriedly to see that Sasuke and Hinata were trapped inside one of Haku's jutsu. But the fact that the masked shinobi had Hyoton kekkei genkai was highly intriguing. The Yuki Clan was rumored to be extinct during the blood line purges started by the Yondaime Mizukage.

 _Half an hour earlier at Tazuna's house_

Few minutes after Tazuna, Kakashi and then genins had left for the bridge, two figures suddenly materialized out of thin air in front of Tazuna's house. "Let's go wake up our target for some fun…" Kisame stated with his shark-like smile.

"Patience, Kisame. We have come this far without getting detected by either the Namikaze or Kakashi Hatake. But we must remain vigilant against him." Hiruko warned as the two of them walked towards the door. They had waited until today to isolate Naruto alone. Since their only intention was to gauge Naruto's development, they decided to wait until Zabuza had attacked the bridge. They assumed while Kakashi and his team faced against Zabuza, Naruto would most definitely come after them. But it seems luck was on their side as they found the blonde to be inside the house. As Hiruko knocked on the door, a few seconds later it was opened by Tsunami. She took a step back in fear as she saw the imposing figure of Kisame and his large sword.

"We have come for Naruto Namikaze…" announced Hiruko patiently.

"Wh… who are you?" Tsunami asked fearfully. Inari, who was also in the living room appeared beside his mother as he saw the two people outside the door.

"Are you deaf, woman? Where is the Shiroi Shinigami?" Hiruko asked again. However, Tsunami suddenly felt her voice lost as the two people stepped inside the house. "Hey! Who do you think you are!?" Inari yelled, pointing towards the two people. Kisame smirked at the kid's boldness. Shifting his sword, he placed it on the ground and it was easily larger than Inari. Tsunami held her son protectively, afraid of what the two might do. Hiruko sighed at the women's unresponsive behavior and before Tsunami could even blink, she was now being held by her throat by the shorter of the two people.

"Do you wish to die before your child?" Hiruko asked calmly, as he stared into Tsunami's wide eyes. She shut her eyes close, as a few tears formed on her face. "Please, please don't hurt my child…" she pleaded. However, Hiruko's gaze shifted towards the little boy who threw a weak punch to his leg.

"Leave my mother, you idiot!" Inari stated, trying to portray his bravery. Hiruko raised an eyebrow at the boy's scared look, but he was surprised by the slight hint of defiance in the child's eyes. Kisame lifted his sword, intent on cleaving the kid in half. But, the very next second, the two Akatsuki members found themselves thrown back through the walls of the house. Inari blinked his eyes in surprise as Tsunami fell on the ground. Without any thought, she quickly engulfed Inari in a warm hug.

"That was very brave of you Inari. To stand up to them knowing you might very well die shows how courageous you are… You'll grow up to be a fine man." Naruto stated warmly as he gently patted the surprised kid on the head. "Rest easy now. I will take care of them…" As Naruto walked out of the house, Inari could only look at him in amazement. If not for Naruto, he would have probably lost his mother too.

Once Naruto was outside the house, he stared at the two shinobi who were still getting up. He was in a foul mood, when he suddenly woke up a few minutes ago on hearing Tsunami's distressed voice. He could sense his team's chakra signatures fighting on the bridge. And while Kakashi was faring well, he couldn't say same for his friends. If only, he hadn't overslept. He cursed himself for that. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance, when the two people now stood up, seemingly unhurt. Looking over their garments, Naruto realized who these two people might be. Kisame Hoashigake and Hiruko. He was certainly surprised to know that the two were part of the Akatsuki.

"So, the Akatsuki has come for me? And what? You think, you're enough to take me down?" stated Naruto as he folded his arms over his chest. He couldn't afford to waste much time here since his presence was required at the bridge. Still, he decided to entertain the two for a few minutes.

"You're a fast one Shiroi Shinigami… This ought to be fun." Chuckled Kisame as he readied himself. Meanwhile, Hiruko decided to stay put and observe the blonde's fighting style. Gripping his sword tightly, Kisame ran towards Naruto at alarmingly fast speeds. Naruto simply stayed in his place as his skeletal susanoo appeared around him. Before Kisame could even react, Naruto's Susanoo swung his scythe towards the large man. Naruto was mildly surprised when Kisame managed to block the scythe. Kisame grinned and with sheer strength started pushing the silver scythe back. However, Naruto's face remained devoid of any emotion as another scythe formed in susanoo's other arm which was then swung towards Kisame. A look of slight nervousness appeared on Kisame's face on seeing another scythe inches away from him. He immediately dissolved into water and appeared a few feet back.

"You have impressive strength and reflexes, but is that all?" Naruto asked flatly. Kisame merely laughed in response. Large amounts of chakra exploded out of him and momentarily, even Naruto was surprised at the man's chakra reserves. He had heard the tales of Kisame being referred to as the _Tailless Bijuu_ , but never gave it much thought.

" **Suiton: Daibaku Suishouha** " Kisame said, expelling large amounts of water from his mouth. Soon enough, a tidal wave about twenty feet high was now falling down on Naruto. As the blonde made a single hand seal that was also followed by his Susanoo.

" **Katon: Gouka Mekkyaku** " a large stream of fire was exhaled from the Susanoo's mouth, covering a wide range that countered Kisame's suiton jutsu. Kisame swiftly took advantage of the thick mist that had formed and silently moved behind the blonde. Bringing his sword down on the blonde, Kisame was surprised when the one before him burst into smoke. He quickly turned around to block the blonde's leg that was aimed at his head and swiftly swung his sword to cleave the blonde. Naruto jumped over the sword and immediately formed a rasengan in his left hand. Thrusting his arm towards Kisame, the Akatsuki member blocked the rasengan with the samehada. Naruto was pleasantly surprised, when the sword absorbed his jutsu. The blonde jumped back promptly, before the sword could extract any extra chakra from him.

"Ninjutsu is useless against me, so long as I have my sword…" Kisame stated confidently. Naruto chose to ignore the swordsman and glanced towards Hiruko who was keenly observing the fight.

"I see… you're not here to capture or kill me." Naruto stated surprising the two Akatsuki member a little. Naruto was sure, Kisame wasn't fighting to his full extent. The land around them would have definitely gotten altered had the two been fighting seriously. "This bores me…I don't have the time to waste against you guys right now." Naruto said with a sigh. Before Kisame could even react, Naruto raised his arm towards him and pulled the large man towards himself. Kisame tried moving his body with all his strength but was unable to do so.

" **Enton: Honoikazuchi** " Naruto said as he covered his other arm with the flames of Amaterasu and shaped it into sword. As soon as Kisame was in close vicinity of him, he aimed the sword towards the man's abdomen. Kisame grotesquely cried out in pain as he felt the Amaterasu flames pierce him. He weakly fell onto the ground with a thump. Naruto intently watched as Kisame's sword immediately wrapped around his wound and even absorbed his Amaterasu flames and proceeded to heal the swordsmen. However, the sword did seem to writhe in immense pain upon coming in contact with the Amaterasu flames. A few minutes later, Kisame once again stood up, albeit with a scowl on his face. A soon as Kisame moved a muscle, Naruto flung his arm and pushed Kisame away with a wave of gravity towards the trees.

"Now, give me a reason as to why I shouldn't kill you both right now?" Naruto asked with a cold look in his eyes. Kisame coughed up some blood as he stood up again. He placed the samehada on the ground and leaned on the hilt for some support. He was beginning to understand why the Namikaze was known as the Shinigami. It was certainly an apt name.

"Go ahead, kill us. It matters not…" Hiruko stated, surprising Naruto for a second. Naruto raised an eyebrow at Hiruko's statement.

"You're an odd one, Hiruko. I have only heard stories about your crazy experiments while you were in Konoha." Naruto stated. However, momentarily glancing towards Kisame, the blonde was greatly surprised by the man's tenacity and strength. Not many people could get up after taking so many hits from him. 'That sword of his is indeed a problem. It appears to be able to absorb chakra and can also heal him if the need be… and I have no knowledge of Hiruko's skills as a shinobi although the bingo book lists him as S-Rank missing ninja.' Naruto thought.

"Kisame, let's leave. I have got what we need. There's no further reason to stay here any longer." Hiruko stated turning his back towards the blonde. He could now clearly understand the warning their leader had given them. The two of them would certainly lose their life if they were to face Naruto Namikaze alone. The Shiroi Shinigami's skills were leagues above their own and Hiruko believed only their leader would have a chance at capturing the blonde. Soon enough, Kisame and Hiruko immediately disappeared from the area while Naruto still stood in his place. A few minutes later, Tsunami and Inari stepped out of the house on seeing that things had quiet outside.

"Tsunami-san, there's no further need to worry. I'm going to leave a clone over here that will protect the two of you if there's any danger. I will be heading out to the bridge." Naruto said, turning towards her. Meanwhile, Inari stared at the blonde in awe. He couldn't believe that Naruto was in fact this powerful. It also made him want to stand up and fight for his own home.

"Thank you, Naruto-san. I can't show how glad I am that you were here in the house, this morning." Tsunami replied with tears in eyes. She was truly grateful to Naruto for keeping his son out of harms way. More importantly, Inari didn't have to see yet another of his parent get killed in front of his eyes. Naruto made a single clone and ordered him to stay in the house to protect the two civilians. Before he left, he looked towards the little kid with a small smile on his face.

"You're a courageous little man, Inari. It maybe painful to have hope, but it doesn't matter how difficult the situation gets, always believe that you can turn it around. You showed that courage and belief today, when you stood up to those two to protect your mother. I'm proud of you." Naruto said, surprising Inari greatly. The little boy widened his eyes on hearing those words. Ever since his father had died, no one had ever said such words to him and it truly made him feel delighted.

"Thank you, Naruto nii-chan!" Inari yelled and surprised Naruto with a hug. The blonde patted the kid on his head again. Tsunami couldn't believe the wide smile that was present on her child's face and yet again she felt her gratitude towards the blonde rise. Few seconds later, Naruto let go of the boy and immediately ran towards the direction of the bridge.

 _On the bridge_

While Kakashi and Zabuza were locked in a relative stalemate in taijutsu, Sasuke and Hinata were still trapped inside the dome of ice mirrors that was created by Haku. To their horror, the masked shinobi's speed had probably increased two folds upon merging with the ice mirrors. While Sasuke could still somewhat track the shinobi's movements with his sharingan, Hinata could barely keep up with his speed.

"This is the end of the line for the two of you. I shall finish you both here." Stated the masked shinobi as a hail of senbons made of ice rained down on them from all the mirrors surrounding them. With the help of sharingan and his swift movements, Sasuke began deflecting the ice senbon needles with his katana while Hinata raised both her arms and muttered the name of her clan's most prized defensive jutsu.

" **Kaiten** " Immediately Hinata started expelling chakra from the tenketsu in her palms and began spinning. A dome of rotating chakra formed around her as it quickly deflected any projectiles that came in close vicinity to her. After about five minutes, as the masked shinobi's attack seemed to have stopped, both the Konoha genins fell on their knees as they had tired themselves out. Sasuke's raiton chakra armor had already disappeared from around him. However, he still picked himself up with sheer willpower and performed a few hand seals.

" **Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu** " Sasuke said as he molded his remaining chakra and exhaled a large ball of intensely hot flames towards the ice mirrors, hoping to break it. To his surprise, as his katon jutsu hit the ice mirrors, there wasn't even a scratch on it. The masked torso appeared out of one of the mirrors from behind Sasuke and quickly tossed several more senbons towards him. Seeing that Sasuke was yet to notice the incoming danger, Hinata quickly paced herself and placed herself behind Sasuke as the senbon needles pierced her all over her body. The very next second, Sasuke dreadfully turned around as he heard a thumping sound behind him. His eyes widened in horror when he saw Hinata on the ground with her eyes closed. He slowly lowered himself to the ground and his heart momentarily skipped a beat when he couldn't feel any pulse from her. Sakura, who was standing beside Tazuna cursed herself for not being able to do anything. While her team was put their life on the line against the enemy, she couldn't help but feel pathetically useless. She had a worried look on her face as she stared towards the dome of ice mirrors. She had no way of knowing what was going on inside.

"Why… why? Why would you do such a thing for me?" Sasuke whispered under his breath as he stared at her lifeless form. He felt a slight irritation in his eyes but ignored it as he couldn't take his gaze off Hinata.

"Is this your first time witnessing someone close to you die?" questioned the masked shinobi, quite somberly. Sasuke paid no attention to the shinobi and simply stared at Hinata's face. Yet again, he cursed himself for his own lack of power. Yet, again he had to watch someone close to him die. Even Kakashi and Zabuza came to a halt when the fight between Haku and the two genins went quiet. Kakashi worriedly stared towards the dome of ice mirrors and could only guess as to what had happened.

"I told you, they would die Kakashi…" Zabuza stated firmly. Seeing Kakashi's distracted look, he gripped his sword and was about to move towards the Konoha jounin, when he halted in his steps. An ominous chakra had spread over the entire area as everyone on the bridge felt their heart race. Zabuza had never felt such fear in his life. He looked around frantically for the source as his eyes finally landed on a figure walking towards them.

Sakura, Tazuna, Kakashi and Zabuza quietly watched as Naruto walked towards the dome of ice mirrors. Zabuza glanced towards the blonde with a terrified look on his face. 'So, even those two were not able to hold him down.' Thought the former Kiri swordsmen with horror. Naruto didn't spare them any glance and simply kept on walking until he stood right outside the ice dome. He raised his arm and the next second, the entire dome cracked and fell apart. And finally, everyone could see the still form of Hinata lying on the ground. Sakura gasped on seeing Hinata being pierced by more than a dozen senbon needles and Kakashi lowered his gaze sadly.

"Naruto…" Sasuke said softly as the blonde approached them. Naruto knelt beside the two and placed his palm on her forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's been placed in a death-like state. Don't worry." Naruto stated, surprisingly calmly. But, inwardly, he was anything but calm. He was seething with anger and hatred. He glanced towards Haku, who too was rooted in his place. He took a step back in fear the moment he saw Naruto's gaze fall on him. The amount of killing intent radiating from the blonde made everyone on the bridge suffocate.

"I told you, Haku… If anything happens to the people I care about. There won't be a place in this world that would save you from me." Naruto whispered dangerously.

"I… I'm afraid, I wasn't left with any option. It was not my wish to fight them." Haku stated apologetically. As Naruto raised his arm towards Haku, he felt himself getting propelled towards the blonde. The next thing he knew, Naruto was gripping his face tightly by his hands. Naruto was surprised when he felt something from Zabuza, he didn't think the man was capable of. _Worry. Sadness. The same way a father worried about his child._

And Naruto momentarily loosened his grip on Haku's face. He wanted to kill this person who was responsible for putting Hinata in such a state. He truly wanted to. But, for some reason, he could not bring himself to do it. Surprising the others, Naruto threw Haku towards Zabuza, who fell right beside him and did not even bother looking in their direction. Sakura had immediately rushed towards Hinata and began removing all the needles from her body. Once she had done that, she sighed in relief when she confirmed that Hinata was indeed alive.

"Haku!" Zabuza called out as he knelt beside him. Haku had an overwhelmingly perplexed look on his face when he still found himself to be alive. He had accepted the fact that he was going to die. He weakly stared at his master on feeling his comforting touch and was astonished on seeing the concerned look on Zabuza's face. Even Kakashi was surprised by Naruto's actions but when he saw the look of concern on Zabuza's face, he realized the reason behind Naruto's actions. There are some walls that can't be broken through with power alone. But, if there is a power that can break through these walls, it's the power of feelings. And Kakashi was sure, Naruto could sense the deep pit of concern that Zabuza felt on seeing Haku about to get killed. The way Zabuza gently held Haku, showed Kakashi that there was still some hope left in the former Kiri swordsmen.

"Let us stop fighting. There will only be more death and suffering if we continue to fight." Naruto said quietly. Naruto and Zabuza looked towards each other for a few seconds and against everyone's expectations, Zabuza gave a grateful nod to the blonde shinobi. Kakashi lowered his kunai and relaxed himself as the fighting was seemingly over. Though, he was surprised by Naruto's actions, he was quite proud of the blonde. It's fairly easy for one lose to their temper and blindly hate, but to show forgiveness to those who have hurt you, signifies growth.

"What a pathetic shinobi you are, Zabuza!" a voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire bridge. Everyone turned towards the source and found Gato to be standing in front of hundreds of thugs and lowly ninjas. Zabuza gritted his teeth on seeing that man's face. He stood up, intent on killing the bastard here but before he could make a move, Naruto once again looked towards him that made him stand down.

"You and that imbecile had enough time to finish off these Konoha shinobi before the Shiroi Shinigami showed up. Yet, you couldn't even do that. It doesn't matter. I have over two hundred men behind me. They will finish what you couldn't!" boasted Gato. He believed the Namikaze to be taken care by the Akatsuki members, but even they proved to be no match. But in his delusional mind, he was believed the Naruto to be extremely worn out from his fight and trusted he would be able to defeat the Konoha shinobi with overwhelming numbers.

"You saved me the time to hunt you down, Gato…" Naruto stated out loud. Before Gato could even speak, Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him with his hand sticking inside his chest. Without further thought, Naruto pulled out Gato's heart. With a mortified look still etched on his face, Gato's body fell on the ground with a resounding thump. The people who were standing behind Gato, took a step back in fear at that scene.

"Oye, Oye! It's only one person. We can surely defeat him with numbers!" yelled one of the people. Several other people cheered to that and stepped forward bravely. Even Zabuza wondered if the man was plain dumb or had a death wish as he kept his eyes intently on the blond. A hollow chuckle escaped Naruto's lips as he saw the bravado these people were displaying. 'Such insolence…' Naruto thought. These people were the lowest of the scums this world had to offer. Suddenly, an arrow soared through the sky and landed in between Naruto and the group of thugs. Turning around the Konoha shinobi and even Zabuza and Haku were surprised to see the townspeople lead by a small kid who had a bow and arrow in his hand. All the people standing behind Inari had make shift weapons from their home to help them fight.

"Don't take another step into our town!" yelled Inari on top of his voice. And momentarily, Naruto's anger was replaced by a sense of awe. To see a mere child lead so many people, it was truly inspiring.

"Inari…" Tazuna whispered with tears in his eyes. The look his grandson had on his face, it was simply beautiful. It was the same look Kaiza had when he had rallied the people together against Gato, a few years back. It was like seeing a ghost from the past. By now, Sakura had healed all the minor cuts and wounds on Hinata and performed minor medical ninjutsu too, to stabilize her. She was sure, given a few hours of rest, Hinata would be in perfect health. Naruto turned back towards the group of thugs and released jolts of electricity from his body that travelled towards them. In a matter of few seconds, all two hundred of the people that Gato had gathered, now lay dead on ground after being electrocuted.

"There's no need for the people of this town to dirty their hands. We shinobi exist so the innocents can rest easy." Naruto stated out loud. Despite the mass death they just witnessed, all the people cheered loudly in joy as they were finally free of Gato's rule. They could finally get their lives back on track and live peacefully yet again. As Zabuza and Haku got up to leave the area, the two were suddenly stopped by Kakashi.

"Why don't you decide to go back to Kirigakure? I'm sure the Godaime Mizukage will welcome you back along with the last surviving member of the Yuki Clan…" Kakashi suggested as he glanced towards Haku.

"It's not as easy as it sounds, Kakashi. I tried to assassinate the previous Kage…" Zabuza confessed. Another reason was because of Haku. Having raised the kid from a very young age, Zabuza had unknowingly formed a special bond with him. Even though, he never showed it openly to anyone or even Haku, the former Kiri swordsmen would risk his life for the boy. Without any further words, Zabuza and Haku soon disappeared from the bridge, ready to leave Nami no Kuni behind. Kakashi sighed as this whole ordeal finally came to an end and walked towards his genins. Considering what Zabuza said about Haku's skills and kekkei genkai, he was proud of the way Sasuke and Hinata had fought against the kid. Even in the past few days, the two had managed to increase their skills exponentially.

Turning around tiredly, Naruto walked towards Hinata and once again knelt beside her. He gently grazed his hand through her hair as he tried to calm himself. Sakura hesitantly placed her hand atop Naruto's and looked him straight in the eyes. "It's okay… Naruto. She's okay. There's no need to worry. You don't have to blame yourself. We all are shinobi and know the risks that surrounds our lives." Naruto's eyes widened for a second as Sakura knew exactly what his mind was thinking. He slowly nodded and picked her up gently. He glanced towards Kakashi and Sasuke and gave them a knowing look. He then immediately shunshined to Tazuna's house, to get Hinata some much needed rest.

* * *

 _Three Days later_

After the battle on the bridge had ended, Kakashi and Naruto had helped Tazuna in finishing up his work quickly. The two Konoha jounin had disposed of all the dead bodies by burning it up and had also cleared up all the debris that had fallen on the bridge during the fight. To everyone's relief, Hinata had woken up a few hours later after she fell unconscious. And after a hefty meal and some rest, she was in pretty good health. During the entire time Hinata was resting in the guest room, Naruto hadn't left her side even once and wanted his face to be the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. Sasuke too had calmed down relatively but the fear he had felt on thinking that his teammate had died was still somewhere buried deep inside of him. He had decided to spend more of his time training once they reached Konoha. Naruto, Kakashi and team seven were now standing on the bridge, ready to depart to Konoha.

"Will you visit us again, Naruto nii-chan?" Inari asked with a wide smile. Everyone chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. It was pleasant to finally see the kid act his own age.

"Yes, why not. When I get some time, I'll be sure to drop by." Naruto replied jovially as he ruffled the kid's hair warmly. Tsunami stepped forward and handed a bento box to Hinata.

"It's for the road. I assume all of you will be hungry and you were quite badly hurt. So, you should eat something on the way. It's not good to travel on empty stomach." Tsunami said in a motherly tone. Sakura felt a tad bit sad about leaving this place. Hinata blushed a little at the affection and accepted the box gratefully. She had become well acquainted with Tsunami and even Inari over the past few days. And she couldn't deny that living near the ocean wasn't amazing. But she knew the mission had to end at some point and such kept controlled her emotions. Once again, Tazuna thanked Kakashi and Naruto for their help in not only freeing Nami no Kuni but also giving hope to their people. Soon enough, the Konoha shinobi turned around and started their journey back to Konohagakure no Sato as Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari stared at their retreating shadows.

"What shall we name the bridge, tou-san?" Tsunami asked. This bridge represented the hopes and the struggles of all the people of Nami no Kuni.

"The Great Naruto Bridge!" Inari stated proudly, bringing smiles to Tazuna and Tsunami's faces.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: So, their wave mission has finally come to an end. Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata have both come across some things that they need to improve on, to grow as a shinobi individually. With this mission, the three have also experienced the injustice that people go through and how sometimes, the people are so afraid that they merely succumb to accepting a tyrant. Compared to Sasuke and Hinata, Sakura is not that confident in taijutsu or ninjutsu. Up till now, she has focused more on a support role. But, this mission has made her realize that, she couldn't rely on others all the time and that she needs to better herself individually to be a better help to her teammates. Naruto too has grown over the past years since his retirement from ANBU, as it was evident from his decision to let Zabuza and Haku go. Had it been a few years back, his decision might have been entirely different.**_

 _ **Up till now, the Akatsuki had no knowledge about Naruto's skills as a shinobi. While, it's true that Kisame did not really fight Naruto with his full strength, but same was the case with Naruto. To be more precise, he wasn't interested in the two of them. Even while he was fighting Kisame, his mind was more or less focused on his team's chakra signatures on the bridge. Although, the next time Naruto encounters Akatsuki, things will certainly get bloody.**_

 ** _Since a lot of people have told me about this, I will not be pairing Sasuke with Sakura. His pairing will be decided a little later in the story or once he meets more kunoichi from other lands. And do feel free to PM if you think Sasuke should be paired with some specific girl. I will surely think of a way to make that happen in the story. Also, the next chapter will feature the start of the chunin exams arc. Team 8, 9 and 10 will begin to get more involved in the story from here on._**

 ** _Please do follow, favorite and review the story! I'm loving the reviews and support everyone is showing! Lots of love to you guys for that!_**

 **Until next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

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 **Chapter 23: The Arrival of the Sand Siblings**

* * *

Naruto, Kakashi and team seven had finally reached Konoha after half a day's of journey from Nami no Kuni. Considering the tiresome mission that they all had just completed, everyone had agreed to walk back at a slower pace. Once everyone had checked in with the gate guards, Kakashi called out to his team.

"You guys should go and rest now. Naruto and I will go report to Hokage-sama about the details of the mission. Take the day off tomorrow to recuperate and then we'll begin training again. Sound good?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile.

"Thanks sensei!" Hinata and Sakura replied. Sasuke merely nodded and proceeded to walk towards the Namikaze Compound. Even though the Uchiha Compound had been cleaned up and renovated, Mikoto did not wish to live in that accursed place anymore. The memories of her dead clan mates often haunted her sleep to this day. And Sasuke respected his mother's wishes. He was certain, things with him would have turned out to be a lot worse had his mother been killed too that night.

"I will see you tomorrow, Hinata-chan? Get some sleep okay?" Naruto said.

"Hai, Naruto-kun. You worry too much. You need to relax a little…" Hinata replied with a small laugh. Naruto chuckled at her reply and simply nodded. Soon enough, the two jounins took to the rooftops and travelled towards the Hokage building.

"Hey, Hinata, you want to get something to eat? I'm starving a little…" Sakura suggested sheepishly. "Yeah, sure. Let's go. Even I'm a little hungry after all that travelling. I must say Tsunami-san makes some delicious food though." Hinata stated as the two girls walked towards the dango store in the neighboring alley.

When Naruto and Kakashi entered the Hokage's office, none were surprised to see Minato lightly dozing off behind a large stack of papers. Both the jounins smirked on seeing the tired look on the Hokage's face. Kakashi cleared his throat to make Minato aware of their presence. The Yondaime suddenly jolted up from his seat and looked around to see who it was that dared disturb his peaceful dream. A sheepish look formed on his face to see his son and Kakashi with small smirks.

"Oh, when did you guys return from your mission?" Minato asked as he regained his bearings and calmly sat down on the chair.

"That's not very becoming of a Hokage, tou-san…" Naruto commented. Minato's eyebrow twitched a little on that comment. "You cheeky little brat…" he whispered under his breath. That only made Naruto and Kakashi laugh further.

"So, how did the mission go?" questioned Minato with a straight face. The two jounin's faces also turned serious as they got down to business.

"Gato has been eliminated and his headquarters has been taken care of too. I have gathered all the necessary documents pertaining to his criminal activities in the Elemental Nations. Also, all the money he had is sealed into this." Naruto stated, putting down two scrolls on Minato's desk, with the kanji of 'documents' on one and 'money' on the other. Minato unsealed the scroll which had documents and quickly scanned through the documents. He nodded in satisfaction once he had reviewed everything. The documents also confirmed his suspicion that Gato was indeed working with Akatsuki by funding them money. Although, none of the documents gave any hints as to where the Akatsuki's base might be located. But he didn't worry too much about it. With Jiraiya and Shisui working outside the village, he was certain given some time, they would find it out.

"And what about the genins? How did they perform?" Minato asked curiously.

"Quite well, actually. Sasuke and Hinata have improved greatly since the graduation. Even Sakura has shown improvement. Since, I'm not well suited to teach medical ninjutsu, there's not much knowledge I can impart to Sakura. We had also come across Zabuza Momochi and Haku Yuki, who's a member of the Yuki Clan." Kakashi reported. Minato was greatly surprised on hearing that. "Include everything in detail in your report, Kakashi." Minato stated.

"Tou-san, there's a few more things, you need to know about. And it's important." Naruto said gravely. Minato turned his attention to Naruto and urged him speak freely.

"During our mission in Nami no Kuni I was approached by an unknown figure who called himself Urashiki Otsutsuki…" Naruto started. Minato's eyes widened to great proportions on hearing that name. It was only a couple of years ago when Naruto had mentioned to him about Takeshiki Otsutsuki and that alone had worried him a lot. "We got into a battle and I believe the man was just gauging my strength. If he wished, he could have easily killed me at any moment. Although, I did manage to learn that he was seeking my chakra." Naruto said with utmost seriousness.

"So, your suspicions about a parallel dimension were correct after all…" Minato said with a sigh. He got up from his seat and turned around to gaze over the village through his window. There was so much tension residing in the shinobi world. And with the arrival of this group called Akatsuki that were most likely after the bijuu and the threat of the Otsutsuki Clan, there was simply too much to deal with. The Chunin exam was also going to commence in ten days of time. He would need to call a five kage meeting after that, but he wasn't even sure if the other kages would respond to it or not.

"There are too many variables in play right now, tou-san. Earlier when I was approached by the Otsutsuki by the name of Takeshiki, he stated that the human kind was never meant to learn about chakra and that the Otsutsuki Clan have been guarding the chakra since the beginning of time. According to legends, the chakra in our world originated from the Shinju tree. It leads me to believe there's a chakra tree on every planet and the Otsutsuki travel throughout the universe in search of the Shinju. To this day, none of us know where the chakra tree was located in our world. If we manage to find it's location maybe I can decipher some clues with my rinnegan." Naruto explained after a thought. This was something only he could do. The first time he had met Takeshiki, he had realized his rinnegan could observe distortions in time and that led him to believe he might also be capable to perform jikukan ninjutsu. And he was right, when he had managed to open a whole in space-time while he was training one day. He didn't know where the portal led to since he never dared to step inside. Although, he had kept that secret to himself. No one other than him knew about this.

"Alright, I will let Jiraiya-sensei know about this. He should be able to locate it. I will also consult to the Grand Toad Sage regarding this matter. He is said to have been alive for over a millennia. He would positively have knowledge about some of the events that took place during that era." Minato added. He released a tired sigh as he once again took a seat in his chair. There was never a moment of rest.

"Minato-sensei, there's also the matter of the Akatsuki. It seems Kisame Hoshigake and Hiruko have aligned themselves with that group. They too had showed up in Nami no Kuni." Kakashi added.

"Were you able to get anything off them?" Minato asked. Hiruko was a dangerous and crafty man, who even Minato wanted to evade. It wasn't that Minato was afraid of Hiruko's skills as a shinobi but the heinous experiments the man had performed put even Orochimaru to shame.

"I'm afraid not. I only fought with Kisame and I believe Hiruko was observing my fighting style." Naruto replied. Minato thought over all the information he was given. The number of enemies Konoha had right now, was simply too much. They needed solid alliances. Maybe with the upcoming chunin exams, he could discuss the matter with the Raikage and also about the five kage meeting. He did have another option in mind but that went against all his morals. But, to secure the future of the village, he would need get his hands dirty. However, he would try speaking to the other kages before he took any rash decisions.

"I see… I will speak to Shikaku about this matter and decide on how to proceed." Minato said, dismissing the two shinobi in front of him. Once Naruto and Kakashi had left the room, Minato bit his thumb and performed a few hand seals.

" **Kuchiyose no jutsu** " Minato said. There was a puff of smoke and a small green toad appeared on Minato's desk. "What have ya called me for, Yondaime?" asked Fukasaku, one of the two great toad sages of Mount Myoboku.

"Fukasaku-sama. I apologize for disturbing you. But there's a favor I need to ask of you. I need to speak with the Grand Toad Sage about the Rikudo Sennin." Minato asked with a straight face. Fukasaku raised an eyebrow at the odd request.

"What do you want Minato-kun? What makes you think he even knows anything about that man?" Fukasaku asked with narrowed eyes. However, Minato kept his composure and looked the great toad sage right in the eyes.

"Naruto was recently apprehended by a man who called himself Urashiki Otsutsuki. The man seemed to be after the chakra that Naruto possesses. I have no knowledge regarding the threat this enemy may pose to Konoha or the entire shinobi world. But the Grand Toad Sage has been alive for more than a thousand years and I have a feeling, he has also met the Rikudo Sennin. I don't want to put Naruto in any unnecessary risk and want to gather as much information as possible. Naruto may be the destined child, the grand toad sage spoke about, but it doesn't mean he has to do everything alone." Minato said. Fukasaku was slightly taken aback by the look in the Hokage's eyes. "Tell me everything you know, Minato. Then, I'll see if the Grand Toad sage is willing to talk to you about this matter." Fukasaku said with a sigh as he sat down cross legged on the desk. Thereafter, Minato went on to reveal everything he knew, to his former sensei. And to say Fukasaku was shocked and unnerved by what he heard was an understatement. Even he wasn't aware of the appearance of the Otsutsuki in their world in the recent years. While he knew about Shinju tree and the chakra fruit, the knowledge about the Otsutsuki Clan was only known to a select few people in Mount Myoboku.

"I understand, Minato-kun. I will relay the message to Jiraiya and speak to the Grand Toad Sage myself." Fukasaku replied understandably. "Do relay this message to Jiraiya-sensei too." Minato requested. Fukasaku nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

 _Next day_

Kakashi was casually walking through the market district when he stumbled onto Asuma and Kurenai who were sitting in the local dango store. Deciding to join the two, the white-haired jounin walked into the shop and walked to their table.

"Yo! Asuma, Kurenai. How's it going?" Kakashi announced, taking a seat beside the two. "We were just talking about the chunin exams. Are you going to nominate your team?" Asuma asked as took a drag a of his cigarette and exhaled some smoke. Kurenai shook her head at his habit. Even after berating Asuma on many occasions about his smoking habit, he never did learn to quit. And now, she had just accepted the fact she would have to bear the chain-smoking person for the rest of her life.

"Yeah, I will. They are more than ready for it. I'm sure all of them will qualify to become chunins." Kakashi stated as a matter of fact. Kurenai raised an eyebrow at such faith, Kakashi showed in his team.

"You're awfully confident, Kakashi. I know Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura are quite good, but this year's chunin exams will be quite hard. Kumogakure, Sunagakure and a newly formed village called Otogakure will also be participating this year." Kurenai said. Even though she had a good team which consisted of Kiba, Shino and Fu, she was slightly uncertain if they would manage make chunin this year. That's not say that she didn't believe in them. She herself took two tries to make chunin.

"That doesn't bother me much. I'm still sure my entire team would make chunin…" Kakashi said casually. "You want to make a bet?" Asuma proposed with a smirk. Kurenai rolled her eyes at that suggestion. Asuma had been trying to convince her to bet some money but she had always refused. She had never been able to develop any sort of interest in gambling.

"What do you have in mind?" Kakashi said, interested in what the man had to offer. "One thousand ryo for each student that makes chunin… I can say with full confidence that Shikamaru will make chunin this year. That kid has got the same brain as that of his father." Asuma stated proudly. Kakashi hummed in thought as he pondered over it for a few seconds. "Alright, let's do it. Although, I'm sure Tsunade-sama would want to get in on this too…" Kakashi said which made Asuma and Kurenai laugh lightly. Tsunade's unfortunate luck in gambling was known through the Elemental Nations.

"How's Naruto doing?" Kurenai asked, surprising the white-haired jounin slightly. He wasn't aware that the blonde knew Kurenai to begin with. "He's doing fine… Why do you ask?" Kakashi asked genuinely.

"Oh, nothing really. Fu asked about him a couple of times. She never really spoke to him or met him for that matter. He was after all, one of the shinobi who saved her during the destruction of Taki. Although, I can't say that I wouldn't want to meet him. It's a little hard to believe how much he has accomplished at his age." Kurenai replied. Kakashi laughed a bit at Kurenai's wish. His blonde student was sure popular even among the older women. "Are the rumors about his strength really true, Kakashi? You were his taicho in Anbu yeah?" Asuma also asked, unable to hold his interest about the blonde.

"Yeah… it's all true. His battle strength is far above anyone's I have ever seen." Kakashi stated.

"I have never seen him fight. I'm sure it would be quite a sight to see him in the midst of battle…" Asuma said with a laugh. Kakashi merely nodded to that. Naruto had never ceased to amaze him to this day. Whenever he thought the blonde couldn't improve more, Naruto would pull out yet another trick from his hat.

 _Namikaze Compound_

Naruto sat cross legged in the training ground of the Namikaze Compound. He levitated five feet above the ground, eyes were closed in concentration and his palms placed together as he manipulated all the rudimentary elements at the same time. Every so often water would materialize around him, then small balls of compressed air, followed by formation of small fire balls that would float in the air, pillars of stone rising from the ground along with sparks of electricity. Each element would appear simultaneously- remain around him for about a minute and then disappear- only to reappear again, after thirty seconds.

'This isn't enough. I need to be able to maintain all five elements for at least five minutes continuously.' Naruto thought as he focused on his chakra more. Manipulating all five elements at the same time dealt a great amount of stress on Naruto's body. If he wasn't using nature chakra while performing this kind of training, he was sure his body would have torn to shreds in a matter of few seconds. Moreover, if not for the rinnegan, this sort of training would practically be impossible. The fact that the rinnegan offered him complete mastery over all the basic elements was a great boost and he wanted to capitalize on that as much as he could. He cleared his head of any unnecessary thoughts and calmed his breathing even further. As seconds ticked away, he could sense the pressure of manipulating different elements wash away from his body. Two years ago, when he had initially started this kind of training, he could hardly manipulate them for over ten seconds. It took him nearly two years to increase the time limit to a minute. Considering the amount of time, he put into this training, his progress was relatively slow. Yet again, as soon as he hit the one-minute threshold, his concentration slipped up, resulting in the elements to disappear.

After about half an hour, Naruto lowered himself to the ground and immediately released a tired breath. He panted as he tried catching his breath. Although, it was a little easier than before but the stress on his body was still immense.

'Man, I'm beat… I wonder if I'll ever be able to accomplish manipulating all of them for five minutes…' Naruto thought tiredly.

' **You should be proud… idiot. I doubt anyone else can even attempt what you're doing.** ' Kurama replied irritatingly. Naruto was never satisfied with anything and always wanted to improve his abilities. At times, even Kurama wondered if the kid had any limits. Naruto's attention suddenly shifted when he saw Sasuke enter the training ground.

"Here for some training?" asked Naruto, taking a sip of water from the bottle beside him. He relaxed a lot as the cold water travelled down his throat and cooled him down relatively. Not surprised to find the blond here, Sasuke moved towards him and took a seat beside Naruto. "What's up? It's rare for you to sit with me like this." Naruto said with a raised eyebrow. However, Sasuke remained quiet for a few minutes as he seemed to be thinking over something.

"How did you get so strong, Naruto? Just because you have Madara Uchiha's blood running through your veins can't be the reason. Both of us are Uchiha, with the sole exception that you're also an Uzumaki." Sasuke suddenly asked. "Why do you ask that?" Naruto asked curiously. The blonde could sense the internal debate within Sasuke's mind and was also surprised to feel a bit of guilt from him.

"Both of us are of the same age. Yet, you are on a completely different level. I doubt if I'll ever be able to reach to the point, you're at. In our fight against Zabuza, Hinata could have died… would have died if that Haku person wished to really kill her… and I wasn't able to do anything. Although, when I thought that Hinata had died, it did help me mature my sharingan." Sasuke said, as he showed his fully matured sharingan to Naruto. The blond remained quiet for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

"I can sympathize with what you're feeling, Sasuke. I have probably killed over a thousand people up to this point and have also lost a lot of people. The pain of seeing someone close to you die, it's unbearable and suffocating. But you can turn that pain and suffering into an even greater strength. People think that the Senju Clan is the clan of love… but an Uchiha's love is even greater than that of a Senju. It's just that we Uchihas tend to hide our emotions more." Naruto said softly. Sasuke listened to the blonde's words keenly and was surprised to know the last bit. Once again, Sasuke became quiet as he thought over things. Naruto frowned slightly on seeing the look on his friend's face.

"Don't beat yourself up too much. You are really strong, Sasuke. With more intensive training, you might become a formidable opponent for me also…" Naruto stated, trying to keep a straight face. However, seeing Sasuke's narrowed eyes, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Screw you, loser…" Sasuke scoffed, but a slight smirk formed on his face as he saw Naruto's carefree attitude. "Come on, let me help you out with your raiton chakra manipulation. Hinata told me about your raiton armor. I must say, that's impressive." Naruto commented with a smile.

"Alright, let's do it." Sasuke said with a smirk.

* * *

 _A week later_

Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura waited on a small bridge for Kakashi and Naruto to arrive. By now, the three had gotten accustomed to wait for the two jounins. In most of their team trainings, Kakashi and Naruto always showed up to thirty minutes late. There were often days, when the white-haired jounin made the three genins wait for three hours. However, the three were told to meet on the bridge today for an important meeting and were given no further details about it. A few minutes later, Naruto and Kakashi arrived on the bridge via shunshin. The three genins immediately turned their attention to Kakashi, keen to know as to what the important discussion was about.

"Alright, good. Everyone's already here." Kakashi stated which made Sakura look at the jounin in slight anger. "Well, you two are the ones who are behind schedule." She replied blatantly. Kakashi merely chuckled at that point. He looked towards Naruto for some help, but the blonde simply ignored him.

"So, what important matter did you want to discuss, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked, trying to cool down the situation. Sakura sure did loose her anger very easily. Even Sasuke seemed to sigh at the pink-haired girl's temper.

"Oh, right. I have nominated you three for the chunin exams. It will start day after tomorrow and here are your participation tickets." Kakashi stated as he handed one ticket to each. Sakura's attitude flipped completely on hearing that.

"uhm… sensei, are you sure we are ready for the chunin exams?" Sakura asked uncertainly. However, Kakashi simply smiled on hearing the girl's question. He couldn't help but think of his old teammate, Rin Nohara, upon seeing Sakura right now. The two were similar in many aspects. Their interest in medical ninjutsu, concern for her teammates and underestimating her own skills. Yet, it saddened him at the same time when he thought of Rin. The image of Rin throwing herself on his attack still haunted his dreams to this day. Composing himself, Kakashi placed a comforting hand on Sakura's head and patted her a few times, much to her discomfort.

"Trust your sensei, Sakura. You are ready. But, if you still feel unsure, you can opt to take the chunin exams another time. It's not compulsory." Sakura looked towards her two teammates and relaxed a bit on seeing their faces. "You got this, Sakura. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do amazing." Naruto also urged. Sakura smiled widely on hearing Naruto's words and nodded her head. Though a little uncertain, she was sure if her team was with her, she could definitely pass the chunin exams.

"The chunin exam is divided into three parts. And the first part will be held in the Konoha Academy and you have to be there by eight in the morning. Don't be late or else you might not be allowed to enter." Kakashi said, giving the three a little warning. "Alright, get going… that's all for today. Hopefully, all of you will make chunin." Kakashi stated with an eye smile, saying the last bit in barely above a whisper as the three genins walked away from the bridge. However, Naruto clearly heard him and laughed lightly. Kakashi had told him about the bet he made with Asuma and the man had a lot of money riding on his team's performance. The blonde couldn't help but roll his eyes as to how the two jounin sensei made a sport out of their team's shinobi careers. Saying goodbye to his sensei, Naruto immediately caught up with Hinata who was walking towards the Hyuga Compound.

"Hey, Hinata-chan. Come on, let's go get some ramen." Naruto said as he appeared beside her. Hinata shook her head at his ramen obsession.

"Naruto-kun, eating so much ramen is not good for your health. It's an unhealthy food!" Hinata berated him with a mock glare. Naruto widened his eyes dramatically on hearing her words. He couldn't believe that she had just insulted his favorite food. "But, Hinata-chan, it's… it's ramen… the food of gods!" replied Naruto with a bit of drool forming on his face as he thought about the delicious food.

"And who told you that, huh?" Hinata asked firmly that made Naruto stare at the girl in pure shock. No one had ever asked him such a question. "I… uhm… well, I told myself… whatever…" Naruto said and turned his head around with a scoff. He couldn't believe Hinata would say such a thing about his food. Hinata giggled on seeing Naruto's behavior. She knew how much he loved ramen and it was just hilarious to watch him act this way.

"Alright, alright. Stop acting like a baby, Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a small laugh. "Hmph… I'm not the one acting like a baby…" Naruto replied stubbornly. Hinata then got a devious smirk on her face upon seeing Naruto's stubbornness. She inched closer to the blonde and whispered a few words in his ears that made his entire face turn red.

"Re…really?" Naruto asked again, unsure if he heard her correctly or not. Hinata nodded, that further intensified Naruto's blush. Naruto was about to hold her hand and disappear from the place when the two of them heard a scream. "What was that?" Hinata asked curiously. "It sounded like it came from somewhere close by." She added. However, Naruto's face turned completely serious as he knew who that voice belonged to.

"Let's go, Hinata-chan." Naruto said seriously and Hinata quickly followed the blonde. 'It must be someone, Naruto-kun knows.' Hinata thought as she turned around a corner. She immediately turned her byakugan on and looked around. Her eyes suddenly fell upon three figures who were on the other side of the street, to their left. She was surprised to see that one of them was a young kid, most likely a fresh academy student. A few minutes later, Naruto and Hinata stumbled upon a scene that confused as well as angered the blonde.

A shinobi dressed in Bunkaru puppeteer's costume- black, baggy, full body suit with red and yellow circle on the front held Konohamaru by the hem of his shirt in air. The shinobi also wore a black hood which covered his head completely and also had cat like ears. Konohamaru thrashed his hand around in the air to free himself but all his efforts proved to be in vain. Beside the young boy stood a kunoichi with sandy blonde hair and teal colored eyes. She wore a single light purple-colored, off the shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. In addition to incorporating fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs, she also wore a black forehead protector around her neck. Naruto and Hinata were slightly surprised that these two shinobi were from Sunagakure, judging from the symbol on their headband.

Before the two Sunagakure shinobi could notice Naruto and Hinata's presence, the blonde swiftly moved behind the guy holding Konohamaru and gave a roundhouse kick, straight to his face. The shinobi was immediately flung to his right and hit the wall to his side, cracking it slightly. Before the kunoichi could even react, Naruto moved behind her and pointed a kunai to her throat.

"Don't move…" whispered Naruto dangerously. The kunoichi nodded with wide eyes and slight fear. Taking the opportunity, Hinata promptly moved towards the fallen kid and ushered him aside.

"Ughh… what the hell?" the Suna shinobi groaned in immense pain. Standing up on his feet, he looked in front to find a Konoha shinobi pointing a kunai to his sister's throat.

"Do you realize who that kid was, Suna shinobi?" Naruto asked flatly. The shinobi gritted his teeth in anger at being outdone like this. He was just about to teach that kid a lesson. "I don't care who that kid was. He bumped into me and needed to be taught a lesson. He should watch where he's going." Stated the guy with a defiant look on his face.

"You are not in Sunagakure anymore… Suna shinobi. You lay a single hand on anyone in my village, you might just find yourself lying dead in an alley." Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes on the guy before him. Loosening the grip on his kunai, Naruto lowered it and placed it in his pouch and pushed the kunoichi aside unceremoniously.

"Why don't we really find out, if you can kill me or not?" The guy stated with a smirk and moved his hand behind him, ready to unseal the wrapped bag on his back. It was this point, Hinata stepped beside Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention.

"Naruto-kun, leave them be. They are most likely here for the chunin exams. It wouldn't be good for the village if we got into a fight before the exams even began…" Hinata said, hoping to calm him down. The Suna kunoichi's eyes widened even further on hearing the Konoha shinobi's name.

"Naruto…? As in Naruto Uchiha Namikaze?" whispered the kunoichi fearfully. The name was feared even in Sunagakure. The shinobi who single handedly killed over a hundred Iwagakure jounins and defeated the Tsuchikage in the battle of Takigakure. She couldn't believe she was standing in the presence of the Shiroi Shinigami. She glanced towards her brother, hoping he wouldn't do anything dumb. "Kankuro, don't do anything stupid! He's not someone you can hope to defeat!" She said out loud, but her voice only seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Naruto was about turn around and walk away with Hinata and Konohamaru when he felt the shinobi named Kankuro rush towards him from behind. Naruto ducked under the guy's swing and punched him harshly on his stomach. Kankuro immediately clutched his stomach in pain and fell on the ground, yelling curses at the blonde shinobi. The blond haired kunoichi swiftly moved towards her brother before he'd try anything else, although she doubted if he would able to get up for a while on his own. Suddenly, sand swirled in front of the two Suna siblings and a young red-haired kid with a large gourd strapped to his back appeared, sporting a blank face.

"I was wondering, when you'd show up, Tanuki…" Naruto commented as he kept his eyes at the new appearance.

"Temari, Kankuro, we're leaving right now. You've disgraced the name of our village." Stated the red-haired shinobi coldly. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the look of apprehension that had appeared on Kankuro and Temari's face. He could tell that the three were siblings. He found it a little odd that Sunagakure would send a jinchuriki for the chunin exams, but he was relatively certain, he'd able to take care of Shukaku's jinchuriki if anything happened.

"Ga… Gaara… it wa… wasn't our fault." stuttered Kankuro on seeing the maniacal look on his face. They were worried that their brother might unleash the monster inside of him. However, Temari was more afraid of the blond Konoha shinobi with them. She was certain, they'd be dead if they made a single wrong move.

"Mother says to stay away from you, Namikaze… But I want to prove mother wrong by killing you!" Gaara yelled madly as he released a large amount of killing intent. Sand started swirling around him dangerously as he was itching to drench his hands in Namikaze's blood. Hinata and Konohamaru inched a little closer towards the blonde on feeling the pure blood lust from the red-haired shinobi. While Hinata was able to manage herself somewhat fine, Konohamaru was shivering in fear.

Naruto merely laughed at the pathetic display of killing intent and released a tiny bit of his own chakra, which far surpassed the potency of Gaara's chakra. Gaara immediately took a single step back in astonishment. No one had ever been able to withstand the pressure of his chakra before. And the moment he had felt Naruto's chakra, he clutched his head in pain.

"No… no… mother. Please, don't say such things…" Gaara whispered to himself. Yet again, Naruto raised an eyebrow as to what the genin was muttering to himself. He imagined that the Shukaku must be whispering something inside his mind. Few seconds later, several Anbu had appeared all around the six people but kept their presence hidden. Naruto glanced around and signaled them stand down. Even though, he wasn't in Anbu anymore, the shinobi from the black ops unit still highly respected Naruto and his decisions.

Without saying anything further, Gaara turned around and began to walk away with his two siblings following him. "We shall meet again, Naruto Uchiha Namikaze…" Gaara stated before the three Suna shinobi disappeared from view. Naruto's face softened once the three were gone and turned around to face Hinata and Konohamaru. The Anbu too disappeared once the Suna siblings took their leave but a few of them followed the Suna genins to keep an eye on the three.

"That was awesome, Naruto nii-chan!" Konohamaru yelled with stars in his eyes. Naruto and Hinata chuckled on seeing the kid's reaction. Konohamaru pumped his fists in the air and began narrating how cool Naruto was on scaring those three bad people away. Naruto bent down to the young kid's eye level and patted him on the head, a couple of times. "I'm glad you're safe, Konohamaru. Can't let anything happen to you, now, can I?" Naruto said with a laugh. Hinata found herself slightly mesmerized as to how good Naruto was with kids and it made her slightly blush.

"Is she your girlfriend, boss?" Konohamaru asked suddenly, surprising the two. Naruto opened his mouth to speak something but could not bring himself to say anything. How the kid even knew what a girlfriend was, completely eluded him.

"Hai, I'm Hinata Hyuga." Hinata finally confirmed with a soft laugh. Konohamaru winked towards Naruto and gave him a thumbs up. "Nice one, nii-chan!" Konohamaru said with a small smirk.

"Alright, get going kid. And be careful, okay?" Naruto stated with a shake of his head. The young kid nodded vigorously and after a quick thanks to the blonde and Hinata, Konohamaru promptly ran away from the place. He was definitely going to tell all his friends about what happened and how Naruto and his girlfriend saved him from the bullies.

"I don't even know, what to say…" Naruto said with a laugh. He wasn't sure if the kid was smart for his age or someone had told him about this. Hinata giggled at the look on Naruto's face and softly nudged him by the arm. "Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? Let's go. You don't want to keep me waiting for our date, do you?" Hinata said with a mock glare. Naruto immediately waved his arms, signifying a no. "Let's go…" Naruto replied with a small smile.

"Looks like, the chunin exams are surely going to be interesting." Hinata casually said as the two once again made their way towards the market district. Naruto nodded as he completely agreed with her. With the addition of Sunagakure, Kumogakure and Amegakure genins, it would definitely be entertaining. Yet, for some reason he couldn't shake off the morbid feeling he had in his gut- that something terrible was going take place soon. He glanced towards Hinata as he found his worries washing away. Her presence always did make him feel at peace. And he was sure, so long as he had his loved ones close to him, he would be able to go through anything.

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 _ **Author Notes: So, Gaara and Naruto met for the first time and I can assure you that they are going to have quite an interesting friendship. The chunin exams will begin next chapter and the other teams from Konoha as well as Kumogakure, Otogakure and Amegakure will also be introduced. Naruto's role in the chunin exams will also be clarified, either in the next chapter or the one after that. Now, there will be some big surprises by the time the chunin exams get over. But I believe it's necessary for Naruto to grow as a character and also for the other teams in Konoha. Naruto and Sasuke will begin to get a little closer too, from now on. Since, Itachi is still in Anbu, he hardly ever stays at home or in Konoha for that matter. Shisui will return to Konoha for the duration of the chunin exams.**_

 _ **Now, about the space-time ninjutsu that Naruto can perform, it is related to the dimension of the Otsutsuki Clan and is similar to the one adult Sasuke can perform. Although, Naruto hasn't been able to perfect that jutsu completely. Once the chunin exams end, the story will shift it's focus on the Akatsuki and then on the Otsutsuki eventually. I can say with certainty that the fights during those times will be gruesome and brutal. The way Naruto matures his power more and becomes capable of handling it perfectly is something that I will go into detail. The way Konoha repairs it's relationship with Iwagakure will also be an interesting one. Well, those are some of the things you will expect to see once the chunin exam arc gets over. Anyhow, I didn't want to give an spoilers about the current arc, that's why I didn't talk about the next five or six chapters much.**_

 _ **Do follow, favorite and review the story! Keep on leaving the reviews, so I can make developments aptly! Once again, I'm glad that most of you seem to enjoy the story.**_

 **Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 24

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

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 **Chapter 24: The Chunin Exams begin**

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Two days had quickly passed and the day of the chunin exams had finally come to Konohagakure no Sato. The event was a tradition among the hidden villages of the Elemental Nations to test the progress of their genins outside of the war. The chunin exams were held every two years in different villages and was thus deemed a prosperous event for the village it was held in. It not only attracted a lot of customers and tourists to the village but also augmented the status and the economy of the village. Konoha was currently swarming with shinobi from different villages, namely- Kumogakure no Sato, Sunagakure no Sato, Otogakure no Sato and Amegakure. Minato had called most of his shinobi who were still on recon mission outside, to amplify the village's security. There was at least one jounin squad planted on each gate of the village and the important buildings inside.

The first part of the chunin exams which was going to be held in the Konoha academy had dozens of Konoha jounins for the purpose of proctoring the test as well as security. It was seven-fifteen in the morning and Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura could be seen walking towards the academy at a brisk pace. The three had met at training ground seven and decided to walk together from there on. For most part of the walk, each of them remained quiet as they thought about what the first part of the exam would be like. None of them were given any details about the exam. So, it was quite a mystery to them.

Out of the three, Sasuke felt the most confident and even excited at the prospect of facing shinobi from different villages. He could feel that he had become stronger since their mission in Nami no Kuni and wanted to test out his strength against more people. His fight against Zabuza and Haku had opened his eyes to several things he could improve upon to better himself as a shinobi. While he knew that he was incredibly strong for a genin, he could not win all fights through sheer power alone. That thought made him chuckle since that was not the case with Naruto. After training with the blonde, the past week, and getting to know more about his past; Sasuke had come to understand the hardships his friend had gone through to reach the level he's at. It had also made him wonder if he could remain sane after going through the same experiences Naruto had.

"What are you thinking about, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked curiously, after noticing his face go through several emotions.

"Nothing of importance. I was just thinking about the chunin exams…" Sasuke replied casually. Sakura just replied with an 'oh' and became quiet once again. She couldn't help but be slightly nervous.

"Sakura, you're one of the smartest kunoichi I know of. Don't be so worried. Just wait and watch, all of us will pass the chunin exams with flying colors." Hinata said, trying to cheer her up. Frankly, she wasn't that worried about the exam. She was quite confident in her abilities. Even though, she didn't really know anything about the genins from the other villages; considering the training she put herself through the past week, she was certain that her performance would be deemed adequate for chunin rank. Putting that matter aside, she was wondering as to where Naruto and Kakashi were. She did want to meet them before the start of the exam. A few minutes later, as the three entered the academy, they were surprised by the number of shinobi inside the building.

"Wow, there's so many of them…" Sakura commented in slight wonderment. Sasuke simply ignored the swarm of people and walked towards the designated room, that was on the first floor. Hinata and Sakura also quickly followed behind their teammate, not wanting to be late. However, Hinata and Sakura abruptly stopped behind Sasuke and saw him stare towards a door to their right. Following his line of sight, the two were slightly surprised at the commotion.

There were two shinobi, clearly in disguise, blocking the entrance of the door which had the number of the room where the first part of the chunin exam was to be supposedly held. Sasuke smirked at the foolishness of the genins who were arguing with the two shinobi to let them in. "Come on, let's go check what that's about." Sasuke stated and before the two girls could voice their opinion, the Uchiha walked off. "He never listens… does he? He's going to make us late." Hinata said with a sigh. Sakura merely chuckled and prodded Hinata to come. It wouldn't hurt them if they were a minute or two late.

"Hey, let us through!" yelled one of the genins heatedly, who had the symbol of Amegakure on his headband. The two shinobi guarding the door laughed at the three genins.

"Do you really think you can pass the chunin exams? It's not something for kids like you." Stated one of the disguised shinobi. The other shinobi laughed once again at the genin squad who were standing their ground firmly. One of the genins lost his cool slightly and aimed a punch towards the shinobi who caught the fist effortlessly. "You call that a punch? You won't even scratch a four-year old kid with that strength…" mocked the second shinobi. It was at this moment that Sasuke approached the group of people.

"Ohhh, look… what do we have here? One of the rookie genin squads." Stated the first shinobi with a devious smirk.

"You're not fooling anyone with that genjutsu. It's simply stupid and moreover, this isn't even the first floor. How pathetic." Sasuke said with a smirk. Hinata and Sakura stood beside Sasuke and the two were also quite frankly, at a loss of words. The other genin squad looked at the Uchiha weirdly before one of them stepped up with an arrogant look on his face.

"You're quite the proud one, Uchiha. Better watch out… or you might find yourself dead like the rest of your clan." Hinata and Sakura gasped lightly on hearing those words. Sasuke awakened his sharingan and narrowed his eyes at the genin as he clenched his fists. No one dared to say anything about his clan and get away with it. Before the Amegakure genin could react, Sasuke threw a kick towards his face. However, the Uchiha was highly surprised when his kick was suddenly stopped by a Konoha genin dressed in complete green spandex. 'When did he get here?' Sasuke thought, intrigued by the person's speed.

"It's not very youthful to hit someone from another village before the chunin exam begins." Stated the person as he gripped Sasuke's leg.

However, Sakura and Hinata were genuinely bewildered by the new comer's looks. The person had shiny black hair in a bow-cut style, round eyes with prominent lower eyelashes. But the most prominent feature were the person's extremely thick eyebrows. And the green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers looked simply hideous to the girls. The two girls were further creeped out when the person glanced towards them and gave a large smile.

"Ugh… what in the world is that supposed to be?" Sakura whispered to her teammate. She had never seen someone wear such clothing. Hinata awkwardly chuckled, finding herself in the same boat as Sakura. "Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know?" Hinata replied in a whisper. By now, the Konoha genin released Sasuke's leg and promptly moved in front of Sakura and Hinata.

"Are you Sakura Haruno?" asked the green clad genin. Sakura backed a few steps at the sudden closeness. "Ye… yes, I am…" replied Sakura, uneasily.

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura-chan! My name is Rock Lee! The handsome beautiful wild beast of Konoha! And I would like to take you out on a date!" expressed the person with enthusiasm and gave another wide smile. Sakura's eyes widened to great proportions on hearing those words. She slightly looked towards Hinata, who was trying her hardest not to laugh. "Ehrm… How about no?" Sakura intoned with a ghastly look on her face. She couldn't believe someone she had never met had the galls to ask her out on a date of the blue. Before Lee could reply, he heard Sasuke's voice and turned around immediately.

"How did you do that?" Sasuke asked keenly. Even though he hadn't put much effort into his kick, Lee had literally appeared out of nowhere. He couldn't even see Lee move in front of him and that had surprised Sasuke greatly.

"Sasuke Uchiha. You were rookie of the year in your batch. I would like to challenge you to a match to test my own strengths." Lee stated out loud as a look of seriousness formed in his eyes. Sasuke smirked at the confidence this person showed. "You know who I am, and still you want to challenge me? You may have surprised earlier but that won't happen again." Sasuke replied confidently.

"I want to prove that hard-work can surpass a natural born genius. You are hailed as the strongest genin in your batch and I wish to see if I'm capable enough to defeat you in a taijutsu spar." Lee said. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the odd request but nodded nonetheless. He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested to see what the person was capable of.

"But, Sasuke-kun, we need to report to the assigned room in fifteen minutes. You don't want to be late, do you?" Hinata asked. "Trust me, this won't take too long. You guys can go ahead if you want." Sasuke replied and turned around to follow Lee. Yet again, Hinata sighed at the pride that Sasuke always seemed to have.

"You know, we might as well go and watch how that person fights…" Sakura said. Hinata merely nodded as the two girls quickly followed after Sasuke and Lee. About a minute later, Sakura and Hinata found themselves standing in a large empty hall with Sasuke and Lee standing on opposite sides.

"So, only taijutsu yeah?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai, that is correct, Sasuke. I'm unable to use ninjutsu. That's why I have devoted my entire life in becoming a master at taijutsu. Today, I shall prove that even a failure can beat a genius like you." Lee stated with utmost seriousness. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura were once again surprised to hear Lee's words. Hinata promptly activated her byakugan and observed Lee's chakra coils. She was shocked to see how underdeveloped his chakra coils were.

"That's impossible. I have never seen anyone with such underdeveloped chakra coils. Based on how poorly formed his chakra coils are, he can't mold any chakra at all. How did he even manage to pass the graduation exam?" Hinata said, unable to believe her own eyes. Even Sakura found it improbable to believe what she was hearing. She had never heard or come across any shinobi who could not utilize chakra. That alone made her realize how much she did not know about the shinobi world. It also further increased her interest in watching how Lee faired in taijutsu. Although surprised by the revelation, Sasuke did not comment on anything he heard. His eyes were solely focused on the person before him.

With an unknown call, both Sasuke and Lee rushed towards each other with impressive speeds. To Sasuke's surprise, Lee moved much faster than him and a second later, he completely disappeared out of the Uchiha's view. The next second, Sasuke found himself punched at the back and he was flung away. Regaining his composure, Sasuke flipped in midair. But, before he could even land, Lee once again appeared in front of him and aimed a punch to his face. With quick reflexes, Sasuke raised his arms to block the punch. However, he cursed when he felt the strength behind it. Skidding a few feet back, Sasuke quickly jumped to his left to dodge his opponent again. 'He's faster than I am, and his strength is unimaginable. What kind of training does he even do?' thought a bewildered Sasuke. He quickly activated his sharingan and lunged towards the green-clad genin.

Quickly closing the distance, Sasuke aimed a punch to Lee's left cheek. In turn, Lee graciously swatted away the punch and attempted to knee Sasuke in his abdomen. This time, it was Lee's turn to get surprised as Sasuke blocked his knee with his right hand and kicked him on the lower ribs with his left leg. Not stopping there, Sasuke swiftly ducked down and attempted to swat Lee off his feet. However, Lee jumped above Sasuke's leg and kicked him on the shoulders which yet again made the Uchiha fly back a few feet. Lee then immediately jumped back a few steps to gain some distance. Sasuke panted a little, his arms and right shoulder acting up in slight pain after taking those hits.

"You're a worthy opponent, Sasuke-kun. As expected of rookie of the year." Lee stated with a small smile. "But it's time we end this." He added as he started undoing the bandages wrapped around his arms. Confused slightly by those words, Sasuke's eyes widened when Lee suddenly disappeared from his place. His sharingan quickly tracked Lee's movements and Sasuke turned around to raise his arms just in time as Lee appeared behind him and kicked him upwards with great strength. As Sasuke flew high into the air, Lee jumped and appeared behind him. "This is one of my special moves, Sasuke-kun. With this, I shall end the fight!" claimed Lee as the bandages around his arms seemed to now wrap themselves around the Uchiha. Sasuke began to panic slightly as he felt his movements getting restricted. 'What the hell are these made of? I can barely move an inch…' thought an enraged Sasuke. He quickly channeled raiton chakra throughout his whole body as a light blue colored lightning cloak covered him. Before the bandages could completely wrap around Sasuke, they were torn to shreds due to the raiton armor around Sasuke. As soon as Sasuke was free, he kicked a surprised Lee on the sternum and jumped back.

"That was not very youthful, Sasuke-kun. I thought we decided it was only going to be a taijutsu spar." Lee commented as he got over his shock. He couldn't believe one of his most dangerous attacks did not work against the Uchiha. "We are shinobi, Lee. Nothing is ever fair in this world. You shouldn't have believed me blindly in the beginning. A shinobi uses all the tools available to him…" Sasuke stated with a smirk as he calmed his breathing. That was definitely a close one. Right now, he was glad that he had trained himself physically, so that his body could keep up with his sharingan. Hinata and Sakura swiftly appeared behind Sasuke to check up on him. They couldn't bring themselves to believe how strong Lee actually was. His physical prowess was beyond that of a genin, or a chunin for that matter.

"Sasuke-kun, it's enough. We should seriously head to the assigned room. We have about four minutes until eight." Sakura said considering the stalemate the two genins seemed to be at. Sasuke nodded this time, as he felt tired after having that taijutsu spar with Lee. But he was also thoroughly entertained at the same time. Lee merely stared at the torn bandages around his arms as team seven made their way out of the hall and to the first floor of the Academy. Just before the three genins left hall, Sakura turned towards Lee to apologize for leaving suddenly. However, she was horrified to see another Konoha jounin, who appeared to be an exact replica of Lee to be standing beside him. As the creepiness of the sight finally settled in her mind, she quickly turned around and followed Hinata and Sasuke without saying anything else.

 _Outside the Chunin Exam's First Part Room_

Naruto and Kakashi waited outside the room to wish their team good luck for the exams. The blond was starting to get a little worried since the three genins were cutting it very close. Asuma and Kurenai were waiting in the jounin's lounge just beside the exam room as they had already talked to their team beforehand.

"Out of all the times for them to pick up your habit… sensei, you really aren't doing that good a job…" Naruto said with a sigh. Kakashi clearly heard the blonde and rolled his eyes at that comment. If he could earn a ryo for every time someone commented about his tardiness, he would have probably been the richest man in Hi no Kuni.

"Huh? You say something, Naruto?" Kakashi replied lazily while still keeping his eyes on his precious little book. Naruto almost face faulted at that little joke. "I ought to burn all your books to crisps right before your eyes." Naruto stated with passion. The blonde laughed heartily as that seemed to get his sensei's attention. A petrified look appeared on Kakashi's face upon hearing those words as he gripped his book a little more tightly. "You wouldn't… do that my precious." Stated Kakashi as he stepped slightly aside. Naruto simply shook his head at Kakashi's obsession with those books. Jiraiya and Kakashi had urged him several times to give Icha Icha series a try. He was even surprised to know that his father also read such smut. Alas, he never got around to give it a good read. A few seconds later, Naruto turned his attention towards the hallway when he noticed that Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura had finally arrived. He quirked his eyebrow in confusion on seeing Sasuke's worn out look.

"What happened to you?" questioned Naruto.

"Don't' even ask…" Sasuke stated flatly. Although Sasuke was glad to learn that he could utilize his sharingan quite well now, he was a tad bit ashamed of the fact that someone like Lee had forced him to such great lengths. That further made him believe that his skills weren't growing all that much inside the village.

"Some guy called Rock Lee challenged Sasuke-kun to a fight and fought with him on equal grounds. He's just being a little pansy that he couldn't outright beat Lee." Hinata said with a chuckle which prompted Sasuke to glare at her momentarily. Now that peeked both Kakashi and Naruto's attention.

"Oh? That's surprising. Looks like you got a rival Sasuke…" Naruto said with a small laugh. Meanwhile, Kakashi chuckled awkwardly since he knew that Lee was Guy's student. And considering how similar Lee was to his sensei, Sasuke was in for quite an annoying time with the green-clad genin. Sasuke merely scoffed at Naruto's comment and did not bother to reply.

"Anyway, all that aside, you guys should enter the room and wait for the proctor to come. It's about time. And good luck for the first part." Kakashi stated with an eye smile and gave his three genins a thumbs up.

"Thanks, sensei!" Sakura replied cheerfully. She was glad to have met Kakashi and Naruto before the start of the exams. Naruto gave a hug to Sakura and wished good luck to Sasuke as the two of them walked ahead and waited outside the room. Seeing that the two weren't looking, Naruto tightly hugged Hinata and quickly kissed her on the cheeks making her blush slightly. "Naruto-kun…!" Hinata squealed softly and nudged him on his chest. "Good luck, okay? I'm sure you'll do great." Naruto whispered into her ears. Hinata smiled lightly and hugged him back too. A few seconds later, she also followed her teammates into the room.

As Naruto turned around to walk back to the jounins lounge with Kakashi, his eyes twitched on hearing Kakashi's giggles. "Give it a rest, will you?" Naruto berated the white-haired jounin.

* * *

 _Inside the room for Chunin exam first part_

As team seven entered the room, they were immediately bombarded by the looks of all the other teams present in the room. They noticed that there were teams from several other villages, most notably Kumogakure, Sunagakure and Amegakure. The teams from those villages intently looked at team seven as they entered the room and walked towards the other genin squads from Konohagakure. Sasuke held his head high with a confident look on his face as he looked around at the competition. He suddenly felt himself swelling with energy at the prospect of testing his strength against so many people.

"Hey! You guys finally came. Looks like the whole squad is here." Kiba stated out loud with a carefree attitude. His ninken partner, Akamaru also barked in approval as the three rookie squads- team seven, eight and ten gathered in the middle of the room. Ino immediately rushed towards Sasuke and hugged him from behind, much to his displeasure.

"Sasuke-kun! You came! It feels like ages since we got together!" Ino said as she hugged him more tightly. Ever since Naruto had left the academy, Ino had shifted her attention towards the Uchiha. She had come to realize that Naruto had his eyes only on Hinata which had made her sad for quite some time. But that had made her realize if she couldn't have him maybe she could go for Sasuke, who was just as good looking as the Namikaze. Although, Sasuke always seemed to ignore her for some reason.

"Ino, get off him. You know he doesn't like you doing that." Sakura stated as she proceeded to separate Ino from her teammate. "You're no fun, Sakura…" teased Ino. Sakura shook her head at her antics. She was always way too much into boys. It wasn't to say that she didn't like boys. Just that, she didn't find anyone who interested her as much as Naruto did.

"What a drag… you guys are also participating in this troublesome exam?" Shikamaru said lazily as he too joined to the group. Choji stood beside Shikamaru and as expected, he had a packet of chips in his hand. "Yeah, Kakashi sensei nominated our team and told us about the exams a few days ago." Hinata confirmed. She wasn't surprised to see that Shikamaru was still lazy as ever, although it did make her giggle a little at his attitude. Nothing ever did seem to interest the lazy Nara.

"Shino, Fu and I are definitely going to rock this chunin exam. I'm telling you, it'll be a piece of cake!" Kiba boasted proudly. Shino shifted slightly at suddenly being placed in the spotlight and even Fu seemed to laugh awkwardly.

"Kiba, it's not good to be so overconfident. There's bound to be a lot of strong shinobi from other villages." Fu said, hoping to bring her teammate out of his fantasy world. He was way too overconfident about his strength. But she couldn't blame him though. Her life in Konohagakure no Sato was a lot different than Takigakure. People were actually nice to her and spoke to her with affection which had initially surprised her. It was only later that she realized that most of the people in the village did not know that she was a jinchuriki. The genins were shielded from the harsh reality of the shinobi world and as such some of them over estimated their own strength. She had never spoken to anyone about her life in Takigakure and kept those memories suppressed. It always pained her to think about those times. However, she was also glad to have been saved from that hell and to meet her new friends in Konoha. However, she was a little saddened that she never got the chance to meet Naruto Namikaze. The tales of his victory in Takigakure and the fact that he was the jinchuriki of the Kyubi had shocked her greatly. She believed him to be the only person who could probably sympathize with her.

"Fu is correct, Kiba. Logic dictates that if Konoha trained their genins to better improve their skills, so would have the other villagers. And without knowing the extent of other shinobi's abilities, we can't estimate our own accurately." Shino stated quietly. Kiba immediately lowered his head upon hearing what his teammates had to say. Fu and Shino always berated him for his care free and confident attitude. He never understood what was wrong with that. Fu patted Kiba's pack affectionately on seeing his downcast look.

"But, aren't you scared even a little. The genins from other villages look a little scary." Choji said a little warily as he glanced around himself. While he was a little surer of his abilities now, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the shinobi from Kumogakure and Sunagakure, especially the red-haired shinobi. That person just seemed to give him bad vibes.

"I'm sure, we'll be able to manage, Choji-kun…" Hinata replied with a sweet smile. Sasuke quietly stood at the side as the rookie genin squads from Konoha indulged in further talks amongst themselves. He wasn't interested in any of those silly talks. Out of all the genins from Konoha that he knew of, he was only wary of Hinata, Fu, Shikamaru and Lee, whom he only met today. Fu always gave him a sort of similar feeling to Naruto. He could tell that the girl had an enormous reserves of chakra and he couldn't really figure out why. He then looked around the room, hoping to see if he found anyone else interesting enough.

"You guys are making too much noise…" a voice called out and the Konoha genins immediately turned their attention towards the source. A Konoha shinobi with ash-grey hair and black rimmed circular glasses walked up to them with a smirk on his face. He wore a dark purple shirt with high collar, a white under-shirt and dark purple pants with a white cloth waistband.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked as he narrowed his eyes at the genin. The shinobi looked relatively older to be still a genin and Shikamaru couldn't really specify, but something about the shinobi did not feel right. "Oh, where are my manners… I'm Kabuto Yakushi. Look around you, all the other teams are staring at your group. The chunin exams are no joke and you should take it more seriously." Kabuto said with a rather jovial smile. The rookie genins finally looked around themselves and noticed the intimidating gazes of several squads on themselves.

"So, what? It doesn't really matter. Let them look." Sasuke commented out loud.

"Aren't you a little worried? I took the exams three times and have sadly failed every time. This is my fourth attempt in the Chunin exams. It's not as easy as it sounds." Kabuto advised. Most of the people in the room were highly surprised on hearing that fact.

"Ha, you must really suck then!" Kiba stated with a laugh. He walked towards the man and looked him over. "You don't look that strong. No wonder you couldn't pass the exams earlier." Kiba said with smirk. Fu and Shino merely shook their heads. Their teammate did not know when to shut his mouth.

"You must have some experience at this then. Which village do you think we should be most wary about?" Shikamaru questioned to find out some much-needed information about the competition. Kabuto blatantly ignored Kiba who had a prideful smirk and looked towards Shikamaru. He took out a few cards from his pocket and looked over them momentarily.

"This year there are four more villages taking part in the Chunin exams- Kumogakure no Sato, Sunagakure no Sato, Otogakure no Sato and Amegakure. I would suggest staying clear of Kumo and Suna shinobi. I have heard that the genins representing those villages have embarked upon some dangerous missions and come out unscathed. Otogakure is a relatively new village, so I don't think the genins would be that hard to defeat." Kabuto stated. As soon as he said that, a kunai quickly grazed past his ears that made him stumble back. Most of the genins in the room immediately turned their attention to the person who had thrown the kunai. A shinobi adorning the headband with the symbol of Otogakure stepped forward with a devious look on his face.

"Don't underestimate the shinobi from Otogakure, dumb idiot." Stated a shinobi with bandages covering most of his face, leaving only his left eye uncovered. Hinata had immediately moved towards Kabuto who had fallen on the ground. Looking over his ears, she gasped on seeing that it was bleeding heavily.

"How did that happen? It looked like the kunai only grazed past your ears." Hinata questioned with concern. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for your concern though." Kabuto replied with a painful smile. He then proceeded to cover his left hand in green colored chakra and healed the wound on his ear. Hinata was surprised to know that Kabuto was proficient in medical ninjutsu. But it also made her slightly suspicious. The ease with which he performed medical ninjutsu seemed to be extremely proficient for someone who claimed to have failed the chunin exams three times. And she wasn't the only one, even Shikamaru and Sakura seemed to be skeptical of Kabuto. The tension around the room was almost palpable as the Otogakure genin leaked a lot of killing intent to solidify his claim. However, before anything further could happen, the proctor soon arrived in the room via shunshin.

"Quiet down, you brats!" stated the Konoha jounin firmly. He had a large, imposing figure which complemented his rugged head and face which was covered with old wounds and scars. His head was covered by the forehead protector to conceal a collection of burn marks and punctures that he received during his past missions. His face showed two long parallel slash marks that ran diagonally, from top left to bottom right. He also wore a long black trench coat.

"My name is Ibiki Morino and I'll be the proctor for the first exam. Shut your mouths and take your seats immediately." Ibiki stated out loud as he leaked his own killing intent. All the genins in the room quickly shuffled around and took their assigned seats. The strict look on Ibiki's face intimidated majority of the genins while some like Gaara, Sasuke, the ones from Otogakure and even few from Kumogakure had comparatively normal look on their faces. Once everyone was seated, Ibiki proceeded to walk to each desk and hand out papers consisting of nine questions.

"Now, let me explain the rules of the first part. It will be a written test. The paper in front of you has nine questions which you will have to answer in forty-five minutes. Once done, you will be asked the tenth and final question. If you get caught cheating, you will be disqualified. Moreover, if even one member of a squad is caught cheating, the entire team will be disqualified too. The tenth question will have it's own set of rules which will be explained at the end of forty-five minutes. Is everyone clear?" questioned Ibiki. Even though some wanted to question the man, they kept their mouth shut on noticing the harsh look on the proctor's face. "That's what I though. Begin." Ibiki yelled.

As the minutes quickly ticked away, most of the genins seemed to cringe at the sort of questions that was asked on the paper. Most of it appeared to be way above what they were taught or knew of. While some of the genins knew the answers to all the questions, the others had to resort to finding the answers from someone else. Gaara had discreetly made an eye out of sand that was looking over the answers from a genin beside him. Shino utilized one of his insects, while Sasuke and Hinata used their doujutsu to find out the answers to the questions they didn't know. Ibiki casually walked around the classroom to check if anyone was cheating and smirked when he found his target. An Amegakure genin was blatantly glancing back towards his teammate to obtain answers and did not even attempt to be discreet about his doings.

"You think, you're smart?" Ibiki said as he stood beside the Amegakure genin. The person immediately started sweating and turned around to look at the proctor fearfully. Before the genin could even say anything, Ibiki pulled him aside. "You're disqualified. Pack up and leave with your team." Ibiki stated and the genin's entire squad was promptly shown their way out. As half an hour passed by, three more teams were disqualified from the chunin exams upon being caught. None of them were given any chance to explain themselves and were simply thrown out of the room.

Kiba frantically looked at his paper which was still empty of any answers. He didn't know the answers to any of the questions and couldn't even look around in fear of having his team disqualified, if he got caught cheating. He was suddenly brought out of his internal musings when he noticed a wrinkled piece of paper fall below his feet. Carefully picking it up, his eyes widened on seeing that the piece of paper had all the answers. Looking to his left from where he guessed the paper was thrown from, he saw that it was Fu who had passed him the sheet and he breathed a sigh of relief. Making sure to keep the sheet of paper hidden, Kiba proceeded to copy all the answers as quickly as he could. Ibiki smirked internally when he noticed how hard the Inuzuka was trying to cover the sheet of paper. 'At least the kid knows to be discreet…' Ibiki thought with a chuckle.

"Alright, pencils down!" Ibiki announced loudly once the forty-five minutes had passed by. He looked around once more to make sure no one else was still writing. Once satisfied, he cleared his throat to speak again. "If anyone wants to leave now, you can. If you leave without attempting the tenth question, your team will be allowed to retake the chunin exams next time. However, if you attempt the tenth question and get it wrong, you won't ever be allowed to retake the exams again. The choice is yours."

"What kind of question is that?" Kankuro yelled in annoyance. He was hard pressed in attempting to get all the answers for the first nine questions. And the rules were just getting weirder by the second.

"The rules are what it is. They won't be changing. The decision is yours…" Ibiki replied staring at the Suna genin intensely. Kankuro immediately shut up as Ibiki's glare fell on him. 'Man, that guy gives me the creep…' Kankuro thought awkwardly. A couple of minutes later, four more teams got up and left the room quietly, afraid that they might answer the final question incorrectly and risk their careers as shinobi.

"Hmphh… As if something like this is enough to scare me. I am definitely going to take the tenth question." Kiba said out loud, trying to keep a brave face. But, underneath all that bravado, he was kind of worried. He just did not want to appear weak in front of shinobi from other villages. He was an Inuzuka and they were a proud clan, after all. "Quite confident, are we?" Ibiki asked as he shifted his focus to Kiba. Ibiki was mildly impressed that Kiba managed to keep a straight face even as he stared at the Inuzuka intently. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura glanced at each other and nodded. Without any words, they agreed to take the final question too. The three of them had gone through a lot together and a simple question wasn't going to decide their fate. As a few more minutes passed, Ibiki noticed that the remaining genins were adamant about attempting the final question. His expression softened slightly as he sighed. 'Guess, there's no helping it…' he thought.

"Alright then, you all pass." Congratulated Ibiki. It took about a minute for the genins to register the words as they looked at the proctor with perplexed looks.

"How…?" asked one of the genins, wearing the Kumogakure forehead protector. Similar question was also racing through the minds of other genins.

"It appears some of you are not as smart as I thought… Anyhow, let me explain. When I asked if you were ready to take the final question, that in fact was the tenth question. When you become chunin, there will be times when you'll be asked to lead missions and you'll come across many uncertainties. The tenth question was to check your resolve. If you are mentally strong enough to continue a mission or instead chose to leave because the situation became too rough for you to handle. And it seems, those of you who chose to stay did indeed believe in yourself." Ibiki explained briefly. Several of the genins were amazed at the ingenuity of the question and now relaxed somewhat, knowing that they had passed the first hurdle. However, before Ibiki could say anything further, the window to his right suddenly broke and a purple haired woman wearing quite revealing clothes stood beside Ibiki. He shook his head and merely sighed at the woman's antics.

"Always too early, Anko… at least let me finish." Ibiki said to her. That only prompted Anko to give a cheeky smile. She looked around the room and was surprised at the number of people that Ibiki had passed. Several of the boys drooled at the sight of Anko who was only wearing fishnets under her trench coat and the girls seemed to be slightly irked at the indecency of the woman.

"You've grown soft Ibiki. You've sure passed a hefty number of students." Anko commented. Ibiki couldn't disagree with her. Even he was quite shocked. "I guess the genins are just good this year. They might surprise you too, Anko." Ibiki replied.

"Oh, we'll see about that. But, I'm sure by the time I'm done with them, the number will have reduced in half." Anko stated with a smirk. Some of the genins stared at the purple-haired woman in shock upon hearing her claim. That only proved to make them wonder and worry as to what the next part of the chunin exam would be like. "All right kids, everyone has to report at training ground 44 in half an hour. Anyone who comes late will be immediately disqualified. Now, hurry up." Anko stated out loud and the next second, she seemingly disappeared from view.

"Man, that lady was hot as hell…" Kankuro couldn't help but blurt it out as soon as Anko left the room. Several other male genins unknowingly nodded to that comment. Temari sent a dirty glare towards her brother that made him back away slightly. Anyhow, a few minutes later, they all quickly got up from their seats and left the room and proceeded to move towards training ground 44.

* * *

As Naruto, Kakashi and the other jounin sensei of Konoha genin squads walked to the entrance of training ground 44, Naruto stopped abruptly when he felt that vile chakra. He narrowed his eyes as he realized who it belonged to. He would never forget the pain that person had made him go through.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked suddenly on seeing Naruto's face turn blank. However, the blonde simply rushed ahead, intent on finding out who Orochimaru was disguising himself as. Naruto was certain that Orochimaru wouldn't just openly walk into the village and plus, he was curious as to how the Curious as to what made Naruto uneasy, Kakashi also quickly followed him. He had noticed the momentary look of rage on Naruto's face and that alone had alarmed him. Even Asuma, Kurenai and Gai were curious as to what had happened suddenly and decided to follow their fellow jounins.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: I purposely kept the mood for this chapter a little light. The second part of the chunin exams will be quite gruesome. Considering the fact that there's several different villages involved, the Konoha genin will come across lots of surprises. Now, what happens between Naruto and Orochimaru will be a surprise. Or the fact as to how Orochimaru was able to remove Naruto's chakra rods will also be explained in the next chapter. The team from Kumo will be introduced in the next chapter too.**_

 _ **Now, to clarify some more things- I won't be making the enemies extremely overpowered. The way I portrayed Naruto's power in this story, he can pretty much, that would be wrong to say, he can defeat anyone. The fact that he can use Kurama mode, Susanoo, has access to Six Paths chakra, rinnegan, mangekyo sharingan along with the ability to use senjutsu effectively makes him almost unbeatable. But, do remember that even though he has access to all the powers, his body is still not at it's peak to be able to handle the usage of all those powers together. In his childhood, Naruto was just taught the rudimentary concept of pretty much everything by Jiraiya and Minato. While the toads helped Naruto in better utilize senjutsu in different ways such as for healing purposes, using it with normal ninjutsu, what senjutsu in fact meant and it's different applications; Itachi and Shisui helped Naruto to better utilize the ninjutsu he already knew. Whereas, Kakashi was someone who taught Naruto about teamwork and sparred with him on a regular basis to improve his taijutsu. Many may not agree with me on this, but Kakashi is among the best taijutsu users in the whole anime/manga of Naruto. There are definitely people who are better than him, but he had some of the most fire hand to hand combat scenes in the anime.**_

 _ **When I say that there's a lot Naruto doesn't know about the rinnegan, I don't necessarily mean that he doesn't know about the 'Six Paths'. He does know about them and can utilize them except the Rinne Tensei no jutsu. However, there will come a time soon enough when Naruto will unknowingly perform the jutsu to bring someone back to life. Getting back to point, Naruto can utilize the 'Six Paths'. But, I don't want him to be just focusing on those six powers. There's so much more the rinnegan can do. The only reason Nagato wasn't able to utilize the rinnegan's true abilities is because he wasn't the true owner of the eyes. The way Madara and Sasuke used the rinnegan in the anime/manga just seemed more appealing to me. Again, this is just my personal opinion.**_ _ **So, as I had said, I will not be making the enemies extremely overpowered, but in a way a tad bit more smarter. Nagato did use the six paths of pain very proficiently but there were still things he could have done with the rinnegan even if the eyes weren't his to begin with. He was barely shown to use any ninjutsu in the anime. Considering the fact that the rinnegan gives him perfect control over all basic elements and even the ability to merge elements, Nagato should have capitalized on that more. Although, true that it wasn't necessary for him to do so, but it would have sure been amazing to see. Nagato is just an example that I wanted to give, since he's the only other character in this story with a rinnegan so far.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! Do let me know what you guys think and if the explanation that I gave seemed sound enough or not. Once again, those are my personal opinion. Also, I'm glad that you all seem to like how the story is shaping out to be. It's only going to get more interesting.**_

 **Until next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 25: New Revelations**

* * *

The Rookie genin squads and the other genin squads from Konoha had arrived at the entrance of training ground 44 after about fifteen minutes of walk from the Konoha academy. Even the genins from Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Otogakure and the two remaining genins squads from Amegakure had arrived and were waiting for the proctor to give further instructions for the second part.

"What do you think the second part will be like? Ibiki-san sure made the written exam seem very stressful…" Sakura stated.

"Beats me. I assume it will be more practical and definitely harder than the first exam." Shikamaru replied with a yawn. He had pretty much slept through the written part and it was only in the last ten minutes or so that he answered the questions that he knew of. However, he knew he was a tad bit lucky to have gotten through the first part. Even Shino and Sasuke nodded, agreeing with the Nara.

"That forest just seems a little too scary for my taste. I just hope the second part gets over soon too." Choji stated. He had already finished through all the food he had and was starting to get hungry again. Ino got a little ticked off at Choji's constant hunger and just turned to move beside Sasuke, much to his displeasure. While most of the genins talked among themselves, there was one Amegakure genin who quietly stood at the back and kept her eyes focused on the Uchiha. Hinata looked around herself, seeing which all teams actually remained and when her gaze fell upon that Amegakure genin at the back, a cold shiver ran up her spine on seeing the look at that shinobi's eye.

Unbeknownst to the genins, Anko was sitting atop a tall tree by the entrance of the training ground 44. She gazed over at the genins and chuckled at how calm most of them appeared. All of that would soon change in a matter of few minutes. 'Oh, I can't wait to have fun with these little ones…' she thought with a sadistic laugh. She promptly jumped off the tree and landed in front of the group of genins as she made her presence known to them.

"Welcome to my home! Training ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death!" Anko stated out loud, a little too cheerfully. Most of the teams immediately fell quiet on hearing the name. "For the second part of the chunin exams, each team will be given a heaven, or an earth scroll. Once all the teams enter the forest, you'll have five days to collect the other scroll and report to the building on the far north of the forest. Although, it is frowned upon, killing an opponent during the exam is allowed. Also, if you open the scroll before reporting to the building, you will be disqualified." Anko gave a brief detail.

As she expected, most of the participants now seemed to be a little afraid at the prospect of spending five days within that forest. Sensing the fear from so many genins, honestly filled her with glee. She was truly going to have a spectacular time seeing all these genins struggle.

"Oh, man. What if we end up dying accidentally. And considering Raikage-sama's temper, he wages war on Konoha? And then because two of the great five villages start a war, it could possibly spark the fourth great shinobi war." Murmured a dark-skinned Kumo ninja with white hair. His mind kept popping up these impossible scenarios that kept making him tense up with every passing second.

"Oh, shut up Omoi. It's your habit to overthink stuff. Do you have that little faith in your abilities. And these Konoha genins don't look that strong anyway." A dark skinned kunoichi with long spiky red hair berated her teammate. "I seriously mean it, Karui. Think about it…" Omoi replied as he slightly shifted in his spot. He couldn't help but think about all these scenarios. Their third teammate, Samui sighed at Karui and Omoi's constant bickering. The two were always arguing with each other and never gave it a moment's rest. Unlike her teammates, she was an extremely reserved person and only spoke when it was necessary. She also doubted if the other genins were as weak as Karui thought them to be. The Uchiha and the Hyuga clan were known through out the shinobi world and could not be underestimated at all. Moreover, the red-haired shinobi from Sunagakure and the Ame kunoichi made her feel uneasy. Though it wasn't much, she could feel the blood lust radiating from the red-haired Suna shinobi.

"But, what will we do about food and water?" Choji suddenly asked with shock written on his face. He had never gone so long without eating anything.

"Oh, don't worry about that. There are a lot of wild animals inside the forest. You could just kill and eat them if you so desire." Anko replied with a smirk. Even the group from Kumogakure were a little uncomfortable on seeing the sick smile on Anko's face. As she looked around once more, her eyes fell on the Uchiha who had a confident look on his face and she was even surprised not to feel any sort of fear from the genin. Swiftly taking out a kunai, she expertly threw it towards him. Sasuke merely side stepped the thrown kunai but was surprised when Anko was suddenly standing behind him.

"You seem to be awfully confident… Doesn't the forest scare you?" Anko whispered into his ears as she snaked her arms over his shoulders. However, Sasuke remained indifferent to her actions and sported a blank face now.

"I have been through much worse to let something like death scare me…" Sasuke replied to her flatly. Anko merely smirked at the response. She suddenly turned around when she felt someone tap her on the shoulders. She noticed that it was an Amegakure kunoichi with waist long black hair who was holding a kunai in her hand.

"You dropped this proctor-san…" the kunoichi stated with a smile that looked to be disturbing to many around. 'I must be getting rusty, if a genin got a drop on me like that…' Anko thought dumbly as she simply took her kunai and moved back to the front of the group.

"Something doesn't feel right about that kunoichi…" Hinata whispered to Sasuke and Sakura. The two of them also nodded slightly. "You're right. She feels strange…" Sakura replied, wary of the Ame kunoichi. Before Anko could proceed further with anything, she was surprised when Naruto and Kakashi suddenly appeared beside her, followed by Asuma, Kurenai and Gai.

"Oye! What are you doing here?" Anko questioned looking towards the Namikaze. Even the Kumo and Oto genins were surprised on seeing the famous Shiroi Shinigami they had heard so much about. Naruto completely ignored Anko and looked over the group of genins with narrowed eyes. He was certain one of them was Orochimaru as he had sensed his chakra just outside the Forest of Death. Anko's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at not getting a reply. Even Asuma, Gai and Kurenai were confused at this point. Anko moved towards Naruto to question him about appearing in the middle of her exam, when Kakashi suddenly moved in front of her to block her path.

"Anko, let it be. This won't take long." Kakashi stated with complete seriousness. She was slightly taken aback by the look on Kakashi's face and decided to wait for a few minutes. She had known the white-haired jounin since childhood and there were very few times when he was this serious. Naruto narrowed his eyes dangerously when his gaze fell upon the Amegakure kunoichi who was standing at the back. The said kunoichi also stared at Naruto without as much an emotion on her face. And Naruto knew he had found his prey. However, he was surprised to sense that Orochimaru's chakra felt slightly different than what he remembered. It felt much stronger and potent to be precise. He thought for a second about what to do about him. He could just kill him but then he wouldn't know the reason as to why Orochimaru came to Konoha and most importantly how the sannin even managed to remove his chakra rods. It shouldn't have been possible for Orochimaru to remove it himself or make someone else do it.

"Kakashi-sensei, let's go. There's no need to worry." Naruto stated calmly as he immediately turned around. With one look at the blonde's face, Kakashi understood the underlying meaning. Kakashi glanced towards his fellow jounin sensei, and the two immediately shunshined out of the area. The other three Konoha jounins sensei quickly wished their respective team good luck before they too took their leave. Whatever the case was, they knew Naruto must have sensed something.

'Huh, I wonder why Naruto-kun showed up like that…' thought Hinata. She too had noticed the look on the blonde's face and was certain there was something wrong. Her team would need to be careful the next few days.

'I'll need to be cautious. For sure, he knows about me. Well, it's not like I wasn't expecting him not to find out. Still, all I need is a few seconds with young Sasuke-kun…' thought Orochimaru who was disguised as the Ame kunoichi. Shortly after that, Anko made all the genins sign a form stating that if they were to die in the middle of this exam, Konohagakure would not be held responsible for their death. Each of the team was then handed a single heaven or earth scroll to carry with themselves and then asked to wait in front of their assigned gates.

"Do you have any plan as to how we should proceed?" Hinata questioned. Team seven was given a heaven scroll and it was Hinata who had it with her.

"We have a maximum of five days to get an earth scroll from another team. I suggest we look for a team as soon as we enter and apprehend them." Sasuke said. "But, there's also a good chance that the team we encounter may not have the scroll we are looking for…" Sakura replied.

"Remember what the proctor said? Half of us will be eliminated by the end of this exam anyway. And any team that does not have both the scrolls will not qualify. So, it doesn't matter if we have more heaven or earth scrolls. We just need one of each at the least." Sasuke stated logically. Hinata pondered over the matter again. Sasuke had some valid points and if their team did follow his plan, they could easily weed out the competition for the third part of the chunin exams. But, if they got into a lot of fights, all of them might become too tired for the next part if it's held right after.

"How about we scout the other teams for the first day and find out which team has an earth scroll? That way we only need to fight one team and once we get the earth scroll, we can head for the building immediately." Hinata suggested an alternative. Everyone suddenly stopped talking as the alarm rang loudly and the gate in front of them opened up.

"Guess, we are going with your idea, Hinata." Sakura said with slightl nervous. Sasuke also ended up agreeing as the idea did seem to have benefits. They would need to conserve their strength as much as they can. Few seconds later, team seven rushed inside the forests and so did the other teams who were waiting by the other gates.

 _With Naruto, Kakashi and other jounins_

"So, what did you manage to find?" Asuma asked straight forward. If there were a matter bothering Naruto, it must be something serious.

"I believe, Orochimaru has infiltrated the village and is disguising himself as one of the genins… to be more precise an Amegakure kunoichi." Naruto revealed. As soon as Naruto said those words, the other jounins became highly cautious on hearing that news.

"Are you sure, Naruto-kun?" Gai posed the question. And for once, the people were surprised on hearing the seriousness behind his voice.

"I'm positive. I would never forget his chakra signature. But what concerns me is how he managed to sneak inside the village despite the security that we have in place. I only sensed his chakra a while back, meaning it hasn't even been half an hour since he came into the village." Naruto said. Kakashi got into a thinking pose as his mind raced through the different possibilities. It was only known to a handful of people in the village that Orochimaru worked with Danzo in the past. However, it has been four years since the elder had defected the village and they had no new information about him. So, he couldn't even positively say that Danzo is involved right now. But he also couldn't rule out the possibility. Glancing towards the blonde, Kakashi was sure there was another matter which was bugging Naruto.

"That is troubling indeed. Orochimaru is not someone who can be taken lightly. But I still wonder why he even came to the village. I can't think of anything that may interest him." Asuma thought out loud. The fact that Kakashi and Naruto had fought against Orochimaru in Takigakure was still unknown to the jounins and only Minato, Jiraiya and Shikaku knew of this in the village. While Kakashi had a small inkling as to what Orochimaru could be after, he wasn't entirely sure about it. Just after the Third Shinobi war had ended, Kakashi and his Anbu squad had once apprehended Orochimaru outside one of his laboratories. He had barely managed to escape at that point, but his team was successful in retrieving some of the documents in the lab. Orochimaru's obsession with the Shodaime Hokage's cell and the sharingan was quite sickening.

"Asuma, Gai, Kurenai, how about you guys check with the squads stationed near the gate and then meet with us at the jounin's lounge. Naruto and I will go speak with Hokage-sama in the meantime. It's a matter of village security if Orochimaru has managed to sneak in without anyone else knowing." Kakashi said.

"What about our teams? I don't think any one of them can take on a Sannin…" Kurenai voiced her concern. She was extremely worried about her team at this point. They were good, but certainly none of them were strong enough to even fight a jounin head on, much less a sannin for that matter. Naruto glanced towards the black-haired kunoichi and knew she had a point.

"I'll go into the forest and look out for Orochimaru, myself. I'll deal with him if the need arises. Kakashi-sensei, you and Gai should go to tou-san and inform him about this immediately." Naruto suggested as he turned towards his sensei. Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi agreed to that readily. They were sure nothing would happen to their team, if Naruto was the one watching over them. Soon enough, Asuma and Kurenai scattered to check with the jounins at each gate. Even Naruto was about to leave when he suddenly heard Gai's voice.

"Naruto-kun, I'm not doubting your abilities in any way. But I have heard about your tendencies to go overboard when fighting the enemy. I just need you to realize that my students are not expendable and should not be harmed in any way. It won't be very youthful otherwise…" Gai stated firmly, surprising Naruto and even Kakashi greatly. Naruto was slightly taken aback by that unsaid threat. But he could understand where Gai was coming from. Majority of the people considered Guy to be a fool because of his immature attitude. But, behind that mask of foolishness was a deadly shinobi whom even Naruto respected and admired- someone who had pushed through all the obstacles life had thrown at him and come out on top whilst still remaining lively on the outside. Not many shinobi could still claim to remain sane after being in world war.

"You have my word, Guy. So long as I breath, none of your genins will even be scratched by Orochimaru." Naruto replied sincerely. The blonde was surprised when the very next second, Guy's posture flipped completely.

"Yosh, Naruto-kun! Now, let's leave and let the flames of our youth spread like an untamed wildfire!" Guy yelled enthusiastically and gave a wide toothy smile along with a thumbs up. Naruto and Kakashi laughed awkwardly and shook their head at the sight of Guy. Of course, the green-clad jounin had to say something like that. Soon enough, the three of them disappeared; while Naruto moved into the Forest of Death, Kakashi and Guy walked towards the Hokage's Building.

* * *

 _Next day afternoon, Forest of Death_

Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura were currently resting under a tall tree exhausted from all the running the previous day. Their first day in the Forest of Death wasn't minutely what they had expected it to be. The forest was filled with numerous large wild animals- snakes, bears and even insects for that matter. A good part of the evening was spent by them in fighting the large bears and snakes that roamed in the area, for food. Since none of them had any sleeping bags on them, they had to construct make-shift sleeping mats with the large tree branches and leaves they had collected at night. The most essential was the food. Since Sasuke and Hinata hadn't a clue as to what plant was poisonous or not, Sakura was the one who had gathered several herbs and apples that grew in the area. The three had eventually agreed upon that if the third part of the chunin exams might end up being held immediately at the end of the fifth day, they would need to conserve as much chakra and stamina as they could. Team seven had set a small camp beside the river that flew through the forest of death.

While Hinata had spent the first day helping Sakura with collecting firewood, food and water, Sasuke had spent the day setting up various traps around their base along with scouting the surrounding area within a two-mile radius. During that time, Sasuke had come across team ten from Konoha, the genins from Amegakure and Kabuto's squad. He had managed to keep his presence discreet but was unable to find which of those teams had an earth scroll.

"We should move out now." Hinata stated, getting up from the ground. All of them were rested and ready to fight.

"We should head north west from here. I noticed the building where we are supposed to report in that direction. If we travel towards there, we are bound to come across a team which has an earth scroll." Sasuke said as he too packed up all of his belongings. "Sakura, you should stay at the back. You are the medic in our team. Only fight when it's completely necessary, okay?" Sasuke added. The pink haired girl quietly nodded. She knew Sasuke and Hinata were much stronger than her and she may only end up adding more trouble. But she wasn't going to complain about anything. Although it did hurt her a little that Sasuke did not think too high of her skills as a shinobi.

"I'll be in the front and look out with my byakugan." Hinata chipped in. A few minutes later, the three of them promptly left the area and began moving north-west.

About half an hour had passed since team seven had been on the move when they heard a horrific scream echo throughout the forest. They suddenly stopped on their tracks and looked around themselves in slight alarm.

"It sounded like it came from the west. Do you want to go check?" Sakura asked meekly. Hinata once again looked around themselves with her byakugan. "I don't see anyone around us. Plus, I don't think it would be wise. Before the chunin exams, Naruto-kun and I had come across the genins from Sunagakure and the red-haired one seemed highly unstable for some reason. We should try to avoid that team for the time being." Hinata suggested. The three once again went on the move and it wasn't until an hour later that they were stopped by a team from Amegakure. The three narrowed their eyes when they saw the sickly looking kunoichi from earlier among them.

"Oh, if it isn't the Uchiha and the Hyuga…" stated a genin with a smirk as he stepped forward. "Hand us your scroll right now." He said firmly.

"You could try, but I don't think you'll succeed." Sasuke replied and rushed towards the genin at high speed. Hinata too rushed behind Sasuke to aid him in the fight. Instead of following her teammates, Sakura ran to the top of the nearby tree that hid her vision from the ground. Making a single bunshin, Sakura's clone jumped from the tree to appear beside Hinata.

"What a bunch of idiots…" the Ame genin commented under his breath. Once the three Konoha genins reached within a feet of him, the Ame genin suddenly took out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. As the area got shrouded in smoke, Sasuke immediately stopped his movements and activated his sharingan. Since Hinata was able to see through the smoke clearly due to her byakugan, she stood right behind Sasuke to cover his back while Sakura's clone stood at the far end inside the smoke screen. The main purpose of the bunshin was to make the Amegakure genins believe that they had trapped the three of them effectively inside the smoke screen.

"Sasuke from your right." Hinata warned. Sasuke immediately side stepped the kunai and threw several shurikens coated with raiton chakra in the general direction from where the kunais were thrown from. He smirked when he heard the clattering sound of the shurikens being deflected. Sasuke glanced towards Hinata and she nodded. Placing her palms on the ground, Hinata expelled several lightning bolts through the ground, which travelled to their right in a matter of a second. However, both frowned when they did not hear any sound in return. This time, Hinata had to jump high up to avoid being hit from several kunais and Sasuke quickly deflected all of them as she landed beside him. Sakura's clone was dispelled the next second as she was hit by one of the shurikens thrown.

"She should be done soon." Hinata whispered. Sasuke nodded, as he understood what Sakura was up to.

While Sasuke and Hinata were still inside the smokescreen, Sakura had expertly hidden herself on a tall tree and had a better view of the surrounding below. She noticed while two of the genins were throwing kunais and shurikens into the smokescreen, the kunoichi was calmly waiting at the side. For an unknown reason, every cell in her body screamed at her to not engage that kunoichi. She quickly made a few hand seals and casted a genjutsu on the area. Since both her teammates had doujutsu, they would be fine.

" **Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu** " Sakura muttered under her breath. Soon enough, as the genjutsu took effect on the area surrounding the Amegakure genins, the two who were throwing weapons into the smokescreen suddenly saw the bodies of her, Sasuke and Hinata lying on the ground with kunais lodged into them. Sakura smirked when the two genins eased up and laughed on seeing the result. The pink haired girl quietly crept down the tree and threw a stone inside the smoke screen which was now beginning to fade lightly. Sasuke and Hinata who were unaffected by the genjutsu heard a stone fall beside them. As soon as they got the signal, Hinata quickly pinpointed the location of the two genins who were standing on two opposite directions of them. Conveying the message to Sasuke, the two of them launched themselves on the unsuspecting Amegakure genins disabled them with a quick jab to their jugular. By now, the smoke screen had mostly faded away. However, both Sasuke and Hinata frowned on finding out that none of them had the scroll.

"Sasuke-kun, Hinata, the third member is still standing at the side. I don't why, but she did not seem interested in helping out her teammates." Sakura told as she rejoined with her team. The two Amegakure genins had their hands and legs tied up to disable them from making any hand seals or allow any movement. Believing that the Ame kunoichi was also under the effect of Sakura's genjutsu, the three of them moved towards her quietly. However, they stopped in their track when the kunoichi suddenly turned towards them with a dark smile on her face.

"Ohh… how wonderful to see you three working together in such synchronization. Truly amazing." Commented the kunoichi. "Looking for this area, are you?" she said with a laugh as she took out the earth scroll from her pouch and hung it in front of her face.

"It's three against one. Give us the scroll and we'll not harm you." Sasuke stated out loud. He gripped his katana tightly as the Ame kunoichi got into a thinking pose. Even Hinata and Sakura were on high alert. Judging by the calm look on the kunoichi's face, they knew she must have a trick up her sleeve. The Ame kunoichi quickly took out two kunais and threw it towards her teammates who were tied up, and instantly killed them without so much as a look.

"What are you doing? They were your teammates!" Sakura yelled, appalled by what the kunoichi had done.

"Oh, first let me test you out those eyes of yours…" she stated as the three Konoha genins viewed her perplexedly. The Ame kunoichi suddenly released a large amount of chakra and killing intent that weighed heavily upon the genins of team seven. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura merely stood rooted in their place unable to move even a single muscle. The sheer pressure of the chakra and the killing intent they were feeling from the kunoichi before them was unreal. The killing intent they sensed from Zabuza seemed like a child compared to what they were feeling now. The three began to sweat heavily upon sensing their demise right before their eyes.

"If you can't even overcome this… I expected much more you, young Sasuke-kun." The kunoichi stated with a shake of her head.

'What is this? This is no normal genin…' the three of them thought simultaneously. Their eyes widened when the kunoichi started walking towards them. They cursed as how much ever they tried to move, they simply were not able to. Tears fell from Sakura's eyes as she believed this was the end for her. Hinata tried to keep herself calm and began racking her brain to deviate her fear and suddenly held her kunai close to her thigh. Sasuke too reciprocated Hinata's actions and the two genins stabbed themselves in the leg to get out of the trance.

"Oh? Maybe you two do have some fight…" the approaching kunoichi stated with interest. Hinata quickly shook Sakura's shoulders and brought her out of her daze. The three of them then quickly jumped back to gain some distance.

"Wh… who are you?" Hinata questioned fearfully as she held her kunai tightly. The Ame kunoichi smirked at the girl's bravery. However, she simply ignored her and turned her gaze towards Sasuke who was still trying to calm himself.

"Don't you want to know the truth about the Uchiha Clan's massacre? The truth that the Hokage and even your dear mother and brother have been hiding from you?" the kunoichi asked with an evil glint in her eyes. Sasuke suddenly grew out of his shock and looked at the kunoichi in confusion and anger. With every passing second, his eyes widened in fear. He didn't know who the kunoichi was or what the person was talking about, but he found himself interested to know what she was talking about. However, before anyone else could say anything further, another presence suddenly landed between team seven and the Ame kunoichi.

"How nice of you to join us, Naruto-kun…" stated the Ame kunoichi gleefully.

"All of you, get out of here as soon as possible. This is not someone you can hope to defeat right now." Naruto announced calmly. Much to his surprise, Orochimaru had managed to hide his chakra signature completely. But he had managed to find him yesterday after a few hours of searching and had been following the sannin ever since. He had waited up till now to make his presence known so he could find out a little about Orochimaru's goals in Konoha.

"No! I want to listen to what she has to say!" Sasuke yelled back stubbornly. He didn't want to believe that the Hokage and his mother were hiding something from him, but he couldn't help but want to listen to the entire story. "This isn't the time Sasuke… As a jounin, I'm ordering you to leave." Naruto firmly said as he slightly turned around and glanced at his brethren with his lone rinnegan. Even Hinata and Sakura were surprised on seeing the look in Naruto's eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, lets get out of here. Naruto is right." Sakura urged. Even though she was surprised by the Ame kunoichi's words, she understood that this wasn't the situation for them stay over here. Even Hinata hesitantly stepped forward but stopped on realizing the situation they were in. After a few minutes of persuasion, Sasuke finally agreed to leave begrudgingly. As team seven turned around and were leaving the area, all of them clearly heard the name of the shinobi that had apprehended them and were thoroughly surprised on knowing the identity. Sasuke glanced back for a second but kept on running away from the area. Unknown to Naruto, a small white snake slithered down the Ame kunoichi's long pants and went into the ground to follow the genins of team seven.

"You made a big mistake coming back to the village, Orochimaru…" Naruto said with a sigh. "I don't know what interest you have in Sasuke or what you had planned but I assure you, I _will_ kill you today." Naruto stated dangerously. The Ame kunoichi in front of Naruto slowly changed her appearance as Orochimaru eventually revealed his true face.

"You sure do like to repeat yourself a lot, Naruto-kun…" chuckled Orochimaru as he readied himself. After his last fight with the blonde, Orochimaru was rendered immobile for several weeks in excruciating pain and begrudgingly had to request one of his former acquaintance for help. Although, the business had costed him greatly, he was able to acquire four new bodies for himself that were made entirely of Hashirama Senju's cells. After months of experimentation on the so called 'white Zetsu', he had managed to create a perfect body for himself. Now, all he needed was the sharingan to get him one step closer to his goal.

Making the first move, Naruto unsheathed his chokuto and lunged towards Orochimaru in a blink of an eye. Quickly turning behind, Orochimaru parried Naruto's chokuto and aimed a knee to the blonde's stomach. Flipping on top of the Sannin and appearing behind, Naruto gave a roundhouse kick to Orochimaru's head. A sickening sound echoed through the area as Naruto's foot contacted the Sannin's face and he was flung to the side like a rag doll. Naruto patiently waited in his spot as he saw the Sannin get up on one knee. He was disgusted at the sight of Orochimaru just pushing his distorted neck back in it's place.

"That kind hurt..." Orochimaru replied as he finally got up. Making a few hand seals, Orochimaru gathered a large amount of chakra.

" **Fuuton: Kaze Kujo Hebi** " Holding the snake hand seal, the sannin took a second to build up the futon chakra around himself. Once finished, he released the snake seal as the fuuton chakra gathered around him to take the form of a large serpent about fifteen meters long. Guiding his hand towards Naruto, the large serpent swiftly travelled towards the blonde, who stood in his place with a bored look. Naruto simply raised his left arm and absorbed the jutsu as it came close to him. Orochimaru quirked his eyebrow in interest. He had never seen someone to be capable of absorbing chakra so efficiently. Before the sannin could voice his question, Naruto opened his mouth to speak.

"So, tell me… how did you manage to remove the chakra rods? No normal shinobi can touch it." Naruto questioned as he sheathed his chokuto back and folded his arms over the chest.

"Well, well… well… I assumed you must have figured it out by now, Naruto-kun. After all, nothing should escape those eyes of yours." Orochimaru replied with a smirk. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru's wordplay which made the sannin further smirk. "You aren't the only one gifted with those eyes… Naruto-kun." The Sannin added and his smirk increased even more on noticing the look of disbelief appear on the blonde's face. He had never seen the rinnegan's full capabilities or could even begin to comprehend it. Like the others, he was familiar with the tale of Rikudo Sennin and how he created the shinobi world with his godlike powers. So, it intrigued him greatly as how two shinobi had the rinnegan in the same era. He could barely stop himself from drooling in his mind at the prospect of uncovering the secrets behind such a doujutsu.

"What… did you… say?" Naruto asked as a morbid feeling developed within him. To learn that there was another rinnegan user in the shinobi world… it had to be impossible. ' **This is not the time to be dwelling on that, Naruto. Kill that snake before he escapes.** ' Kurama urged from within Naruto's mind. He had speculated this scenario earlier but dreaded about the possibility of it being true. Before Orochimaru could capitalize on Naruto's momentary lapse of focus, the blonde suddenly appeared behind the snake sannin and cut off both his arms effectively. By the time Orochimaru realized what had happened, Naruto even cut off his legs as the sannin's body fell on the ground with a thud.

"W…wh…what?" Orochimaru could only whisper for a second which was then followed by a painful scream. He looked around as he saw his arms and legs just lying on either side of him. He once again screamed in agony as he felt the blonde plant his foot on his chest and look down upon him, as if he was a mere insect.

"You gravely miscalculated my power, Orochimaru…" Naruto sneered as his rinnegan bore into the Sannin's twisted soul. "You maybe the greatest scientist the shinobi world has seen, and you may even be a kage level shinobi… but all of that is meaningless before my power. So, how about I make you a deal?" Naruto stated as he pressed his foot down further. A silent scream escaped the Sannin's lips as he cursed the damn blonde. Even after all the modifications he performed on his body along with adding Hashirama's cells, he hated realizing that Naruto was simply toying with him.

"You piqued my interest when you told me about this unknown rinnegan user. So, why don't you inform this person that I wish to meet him…" Naruto said. Raising a single finger, Naruto formed a ball of fire that radiated intense heat and thrusted it above Orochimaru's heart but made sure to leave the sannin barely alive and conscious. He could feel a strong potent chakra that composed most of Orochimaru's body and knew he wouldn't die so easily.

"I will never understand why Jiraiya-sensei did not kill you when he had the chance. Your existence has no meaning whatsoever." Naruto commented as he stepped aside whilst sporting a blank look. Just as the blonde had guessed, Orochimaru opened his mouth to large proportions and crawled out of his own mouth seemingly good as new. Although, doing this took a large toll on his chakra. "I see… It seems I was wrong." Orochimaru replied as he coughed up some blood into his hand.

"What is it you truly desire, Orochimaru? You should know by now, so long as my father and I are in Konoha, you'll never be able to lay a single hand on this village." Naruto said keenly. He genuinely wished to know about the man now. Jiraiya had always diverted the topic when he asked about Orochimaru and he figured that it must be a sensitive topic for his sensei. Orochimaru had fought for Konoha in the first and second shinobi world war beside Jiraiya and Tsunade. He was respected and feared by many for his strength. So, it confused him greatly as to why he would decide to betray the village. Even Orochimaru was mildly surprised on being asked such a question.

"We both have different philosophies about the shinobi world, Naruto. I simply wish to uncover the fundamental secrets behind chakra, life and death… But, if you so desire, I shall arrange a meeting with that person." Replied Orochimaru as he disappeared in a gist of wind.

'This just got a whole lot more complicated… I will need to keep an eye on Sasuke from here on and inform Itachi and Mikoto obasan about this.' Naruto thought with a tired sigh. He didn't want to disclose the truth about another rinnegan user to his father or Jiraiya as of now. It would certainly put them in a frenzy. If possible, he wanted to deal with it on his own. Who knows, he might even be able to persuade the man to work with him.

' **You should have killed him, Naruto… There is no meaning in keeping him alive.** ' Kurama said irritatingly. At this moment, Kurama was worried what Naruto might do if he met the other rinnegan user. Even he was confused about the matter. It should be impossible for the rinnegan to have manifested itself in two people.

'He might prove to be useful in the future, Kurama. If not, his fate rests in my hand anyway.' Naruto replied as he too disappeared from the place. Every time Naruto thought of ending that Sannin's life, he was always presented with a tough choice. And it did not please him that Orochimaru ended up surviving yet another time.

 _Later at night with team seven_

After surviving the encounter with that strange looking Ame kunoichi that turned out to be a Densetsu no Sannin, team seven had rushed away from the area to another part of the forest. A few hours later in the evening, the three had come across yet another team from Amegakure. However, the three Konoha had quite easily defeated the team and luckily this time had managed to find an earth and a heaven scroll from the team. Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura had merely left the team unconscious and tied them up to trees to avoid much trouble. Currently, the three were about four miles east of the building they had to report. They had decided to rest for a while before heading to the building.

While Sakura and Hinata were sleeping, Sasuke was deep in thought about what Orochimaru had stated. As far as he knew, the elder, Danzo had killed most of his clan including his father and fled the village after collecting their sharingan. That was the story which was also known to the village. So, it made him skeptical as to what the sannin might have been talking about. What was the secret that the Hokage, his mother and even Itachi were keeping from him? It hurt his head even thinking about the possibility that the truth he knew was a fabricated lie. He suddenly slapped his leg when he felt something graze past it. Looking down, he raised his eyebrow upon seeing a small white snake. It was simply slithering beside his leg and hissing. Holding it in his hands, Sasuke stared at the snake keenly. It was different than the ones he had encountered in the forest. However, the snake suddenly lunged towards him and before Sasuke could react, it bit him on the neck. An excruciating amount of pain coursed through his body and he felt himself going numb.

Hinata and Sakura promptly woke up as they heard Sasuke's scream. Quickly moving towards him, their eyes widened in horror on seeing him down on the ground as he clutched his neck in agony. A strange black colored pattern had covered his entire body and glowed dim yellow.

"Hinata, what the hell is happening to Sasuke!?" Sakura asked in panic. She crouched and tried to stabilize Sasuke, but she had to immediately move her hand away since his body was burning up. Hinata quickly activated her byakugan and observed Sasuke's chakra circulatory system.

"Whatever it is, it seems to be originating from his neck. It looks like a foreign chakra that is intertwining itself with Sasuke's chakra coils. I have no clue what to do." Hinata replied hurriedly. Sasuke was still wriggling around on the ground and screaming in pain. The two girls couldn't even touch their teammate cause of his burning fever. Not able to take it anymore, Sakura resolved herself and covered both her hands with soothing green chakra. She immediately placed her hand on Sasuke's forehead and almost screamed when she felt the burning sensation course through her body.

"Hinata, quickly get some cold water from somewhere. We need to cool his body as soon as possible." Sakura ordered with gritted teeth. She was trying her best to sooth Sasuke's nerves. While she didn't know how Sasuke got that mark on his neck or what that mark exactly was, she couldn't afford to see him writhe in pain. Following Sakura's orders, Hinata swiftly rushed towards the river that was about half a mile away from their location. As Sakura kept pushing the healing chakra through Sasuke's forehead, she was beginning to tire out cause of the intense heat that his body was radiating. A few minutes later, a morbid feeling developed in her gut, when Sasuke suddenly stopped moving and his body seemed to cool down. She placed her ear on his chest to listen for heartbeat and sighed when she could hear it faintly.

"Sakura, I got some cold water from the river…" Hinata said with heavy breaths but stopped when she noticed Sasuke's still body. "… is he…?" she questioned dreadfully, unable to finish her sentence.

"No. He just seems to be unconscious right now. But we need to keep moving. We can't stay here any longer. We need to find a safe place to hide and wait for him to wake up." Sakura replied. Seeing Sasuke in such a state had lowered both Hinata and Sakura's morale. Both had noticed that Sasuke was disturbed by what Orochimaru had said to him. Even they were curious but knew it wasn't the right time pry answers out of him.

"Help me carry him, will you?" Sakura requested as she tried to carry him. Hinata promptly moved beside Sakura and held onto Sasuke from the other side. "Let's head close to the building. We have both the scrolls anyway. Maybe we can get some medical help once we complete this part." Hinata suggested. Sakura quietly nodded as the two girls started walking slowly, towards the main building.

* * *

 _With Orochimaru_

'Finally, it has begun. The moment draws near. Kukuku… Minato, Naruto, Jiraiya… you won't believe what I have planned for the chunin exam finals.' Orochimaru thought with an evil grin. He was currently in one of his underground layers at the edge of Tsuchi no Kuni. He coughed again violently as some more blood splattered on his hand. Yet again, he cursed the damn blonde and his overwhelming power. It was simply unbelievable that Naruto's power had grown even more since the last time the two had met. But he had been successful in separating the Namikaze from Sasuke and his team. Moreover, having associated himself with Akatsuki once again, Orochimaru had more opportunity to research the rinnegan along with finding the identity of the masked shinobi. He had no clue as to who he was and was certain most people in the group were not aware of his existence. And nothing pleased the Sannin more than to solve a mystery.

"Kimimaro, has Danzo returned yet?" Orochimaru asked to his subordinate, standing beside him. Kimimaro was the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan who was found by Orochimaru near his hideout in Mizu no Kuni. He had pale skin, vivid green eyes, two scarlet dots on his forehead which all the members of his clan possessed, and shoulder-length white hair which he wore divided down the middle on his head, with two separate partings on either side of his face.

"I'm afraid not, Orochimaru-sama. Last I heard, the Kazekage and Danzo are still working on where to station their respective shinobi before the attack." Kimimaro replied obediently.

"Hmm… I see. Anyway, return to your room. I need to work on some things. And contact Kabuto and the Dosu's team via the summons and ask them to keep an eye on Sasuke Uchiha. It'll be a shame if he's not able to adapt to the curse mark." Orochimaru ordered. With a bow, Kimimaro left the room and headed back to his own.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: I really wanted to finish the forest of death part in this chapter, but it just seemed apt to leave the chapter at this point. The next chapter will most likely conclude the forest of death along with the**_ ** _preliminary round. Some people did suggest that Naruto should get the curse mark, but I really don't see any point in that. Orochimaru's curse mark is basically his chakra mixed with senjutsu chakra. Considering how I have portrayed Sasuke to be, I think the curse mark will suit him better. Also, now that Sasuke suspects that something was amiss about his clan being murdered, he will have a big decision to make when the truth is finally revealed to him. I'm planning either Mikoto or Itachi to tell the entire truth to him. However, Naruto will talk to Sasuke about his feelings towards village before Sasuke is told the truth._**

 ** _Orochimaru and Danzo are indeed planning to attack Konoha during the chunin exam's final round. Orochimaru was forced to join the Akatsuki again in return for a hefty cost which will be revealed later. Although, he has his own agenda too for joining the organization again. Now, there are some big surprises as to how Orochimaru and Danzo will commence the attack on Konoha. Once the Raikage comes to Konoha, Minato will also discuss about the five kage meeting which he is planning to hold to discuss about the Akatsuki and the threat of the Otsutsuki Clan. Whether the Raikage will align himself with Konoha or not will depend on his mood. I just assume A to be spontaneous person- someone who takes action first before thinking in most of the cases. A will most likely take that decision after the attack on Konoha concludes. The Chunin Exam arc will probably end in the next 4 to 5 chapters._**

 ** _Please do follow, favorite and review the story! Appreciate the support shown by all the readers. It really motivates me to write more!_**

 **Until next time!**


	26. Chapter 26

_**Naruto: Uchiha no Densetsu**_

* * *

 **Chapter 26: The Prelims begins**

* * *

The time of night seemed like an eternity for the members of team seven. They had made camp inside a cave that was surrounded by trees from all sides, providing a sort of natural cover. While Hinata had set up traps on all sides throughout the night, Sakura stayed beside Sasuke, who was still unconscious. Although, he was wasn't shaking uncontrollably like earlier, his body temperature kept fluctuating the entire night. Sakura had also placed a wet cloth above his forehead to regulate his fever and also used medical ninjutsu on him every half an hour. It was sufficed to say that none of the girls got any sleep and the tiredness was evident from the abysmal look on their faces.

"Is he getting any better, Sakura?" Hinata questioned. She was laying back against the wall beside Sakura with half lidded eyes.

"I don't really know. I can't tell for certain. His chakra has been acting up constantly the past few hours. It looks to be undergoing some sort of change." Sakura replied tiredly. She wasn't faring much better than Hinata too. The two girls had hardly eaten anything since last evening. Sakura and Hinata were suddenly jerked out of their thoughts when they heard sounds coming from outside the cave. Hinata glanced towards Sakura briefly with prudence.

"Shh… stay here while I go out and check, alright?" Hinata whispered. Sakura nodded quietly and moved closer to Sasuke.

As soon as Hinata stepped outside the cave, her senses went on alert upon feeling that something wasn't right. Most of the traps she had set up were thrashed and she could also hear low rustling sounds around her. Activating her byakugan at once, she threw three kunais to her ten o' clock. She composed herself when three Otogakure genins suddenly jumped out of hiding and now stood in front of her.

"What do you want?" Hinata asked firmly and gripped another kunai in her hand. She was clearly not in the mood to entertain these Otogakure genins. If memory served her right, she remembered one of the Oto genins to be the person who threw the kunai towards Kabuto before the start of written part of the chunin exams.

"Look at her act so bravely. Let me take her down Dosu." Stated the genin with spiky, black hair and dark eyes. Dosu merely grunted in reply and that was all the confirmation Zaku needed. "We are here to kill Sasuke Uchiha." He stated out loud. Hinata's eyes widened for a while on hearing that proclamation but narrowed her eyes soon after.

"You'll have to get past me first." Hinata replied sharply and rushed towards her opponent without further ado. Zaku smirked at the foolishness of the girl and raised his arm to point it towards Hinata. As soon as Hinata was in striking distance of her opponent, she attempted a diagonal upward slash with her kunai. A little surprised at her speed, Zaku quickly side stepped the attack and released a blast of compressed air pressure from his hand. Hinata suddenly found herself thrown back several feet but managed to regain her footing. A second later, she suddenly found herself feeling wobbly and clutched her left ear in pain.

'What was that?' Hinata thought with caution. Observing his arm carefully, her byakugan noticed there were several hollow tube-like structures implanted inside of his arm. 'So, that's it! He's manipulating chakra inside those tubes to release pressurized air from his hands.' Hinata thought, as she managed to regain her composure. However, she had to jump away immediately when Zaku lunged towards her.

'I'll need to maintain distance from his hand. If I'm hit with one of those again, I may not be able to stand properly.' Hinata thought strategically. Taking out several more kunais, she coated them with raiton chakra and expertly threw them towards Zaku, each kunai aimed at a vital spot. The few seconds that Zaku took to deflect the kunais, he suddenly lost sight of Hinata, before him. Quickly turning back, he once again pointed his arm as he saw her within an arm's distance with her finger stretched towards him. He smirked when his hand was right beside her face.

'I got her…' Zaku thought with a smirk. However, to his surprise, Hinata suddenly ducked down and gave swift strikes to his arm, successfully closing down several tenketsu points on his arms. By the time Zaku realized what had happened, Hinata swatted him off the ground that made him lose his balance.

" **Hakke Kusho** " Hinata said and gave a high-speed palm thrust to Zaku's chest at point blank, while he was still in air. Zaku hit the ground with a resounding thud and coughed up blood as a result. He groaned in pain, not expecting to be outdone like this and cursed out loud at not able to feel a thing on his left arm. He could barely manage to lift it. Just as Hinata was about to jump away and focus on the others, Zaku quickly caught her leg with his right arm, intending to throw her away with his remaining strength. However, before he could even summon any further strength, Hinata swiftly turned around to crouch and planted a kunai in his head. As Zaku's hand loosened around her ankles, Hinata immediately jumped away when she heard clattering sounds behind her.

Getting her focus back after realizing what she had done, she noticed that Sakura had joined the fight and was fighting against the other two members of Zaku's team, who looked extremely displeased by their teammate's death. As Hinata took another step forward, she suddenly fell on one knee as she her body succumbed to the tiredness. 'Damn it… Damn it! Why now!?' Hinata thought in desperation.

While Hinata was down on the ground, Sakura was trying her best to fend off the constant attacks of the shinobi whose face was mostly covered in bandages. Dosu was highly surprised on seeing the Hyuga girl make a sport out of Zaku and for some reason he felt angered on seeing his teammate die. Even though he and Zaku were not really close, he had spent the past six years with him. Getting back to the matter at hand, he kept pressuring the pink-haired girl with a barrage of swift punches, but the girl simply kept dodging all of them. He was irked that none of his attacks were even getting close to the girl. On his next move, he expertly performed a feint hook to her left and subsequently followed it up with a quick punch with his right arm. Sakura flipped over Dosu and attempted a roundhouse kick, but Dosu blocked her kick with a single arm. Catching her ankle with his left arm, he swirled her around a couple of times, before throwing her away. Sakura hit one of the trees roughly but still got up. She composed herself by taking a deep breath and quickly made a few hand seals.

" **Suiton: Mizu no Muchi** " Sakura uttered as she created several water whips that quickly proceeded towards Dosu. Jumping over the water whips, Dosu was surprised that the whips were following him around. Glancing towards the pink-haired girl, he noticed that Sakura was controlling the whips with her hands. Quickly thinking on his feet, Dosu once again flipped above another few water whips and lunged towards Sakura who hadn't moved from her place.

'Shit, I won't be able to redirect my attack towards him in time.' Sakura thought with wide eyes. However, everyone in the area was surprised when a genin wearing complete green colored clothing appeared in front of Sakura and before their eyes could follow, kicked Dosu in the chest making him fly back.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Lee asked as he kept his eyes focused in front of him. Sakura sighed in relief and cancelled her jutsu to calm her breathing. "I am really grateful Lee. You saved me there…" Sakura replied in relief. Even Hinata breathed a sigh of relief on noticing Lee's arrival. However, before she could think of anything else, her attention moved towards the third member of the Otogakure genin squad. While Hinata was down and Sakura kept Dosu busy, Kin had sneaked past all the traps outside the cave was heading towards Sasuke with the intent to kill him.

Just as she was about to enter the cave, Kin found her body frozen on the spot and was unable to move at all. Looking down, she noticed that her shadow was outstretched. Following it, she cursed on seeing another Konoha shinobi at the other end. Shikamaru was standing behind one of the trees with his hands in the snake seal, as he held the Oto genin in her place with his _Kagemane no Jutsu_. Ino and Choji were standing a few feet behind their teammate and were observing the events unfold with worried eyes. Although, Shikamaru had a serious look after seeing Hinata kill that Oto genin.

By this time, Dosu had regained his footing and was nursing his chest a little. The strength behind that kick was certainly greater than he had expected. Observing the battle field, he cursed his luck on seeing several Konoha genins around him. He couldn't understand how the situation had turned against them. Orochimaru had informed them that the Konoha genins were not all that strong and could be dealt with easily. But, the Hyuga and the pink-haired girl were anything but weak. Losing his cool, he rushed towards the green-clad shinobi in front of him and aimed a kick to his face. Lee ducked under the kick and aimed for an uppercut which was swiftly dodged by Dosu. With quick reflexes, Dosu threw yet another punch towards Lee that he blocked with his arm. But this time Dosu smirked and molded his chakra to redirect high intensity sound waves to his opponent's ears. Lee immediately felt himself getting sick as his stance loosened up quite a bit and he stumbled back a little. Taking advantage of Lee's lack of concentration, Dosu aimed another punch, but to his surprise Lee still managed to block his punch, albeit sloppily. However, this time Dosu released a much higher concentration of sound waves that directly hit Lee. As Lee stumbled back and lost his footing, Dosu kicked him in the sternum harshly that made the green-clad genin fall onto the ground.

'I need to get up and fight. I can't let Lee take all the damage.' Both Sakura and Hinata thought simultaneously. However, before the two could move, everyone in the area froze when they felt an ominous feeling suddenly surround them. Looking towards the source, everyone was surprised to see Sasuke standing beside Kin. But the strange part was that the right side of his body was covered in black markings and a dark violet color chakra swirled around him. Just looking at Sasuke, gave everyone a cold feeling.

'Why does he have Orochimaru-sama's curse mark?' Dosu thought as bit of sweat formed on his face. This just further complicated things. Hinata and Sakura had highly worried expressions on noticing the cold look appear on Sasuke's face. They had never seen such a dead look on him. And that smirk sent chills through their entire body.

"This… this is true power…" Sasuke whispered as he looked down at his hands. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he could feel an incredible amount of power dwelling inside of him and wanted to test it out as soon possible. That's when his gaze fell upon two shinobi who wore the headband of another village. His smirk widened even more as he found his targets. Within a blink of an eye, Sasuke appeared behind Dosu and the Oto genin's eyes widened as he couldn't even track Sasuke's movements. Before Dosu could react, Sasuke gave a hard kick to his face that made Dosu fly to the side and crash through several tree with immense force. Dosu immediately fell unconscious upon impact and his body limply fell on the ground.

"This is it… with this power, I can finally kill him…" Sasuke whispered under his breath as he clenched his fists with a grin. Hinata and Sakura cautiously approached their teammate. They were apprehensive to see Sasuke act so strange.

"Sasuke-kun? You need to calm down and take a deep breath. You're not yourself right now." Hinata called out to him with concern. Sasuke glanced towards her and quirked an eyebrow.

"Don't stand in my way, Hinata. This doesn't concern you." Sasuke replied with a scoff.

"Sasuke! Do you hear yourself? You don't know what you're saying. You are to one who needs to stand down. You were unconscious the whole night and were burning up with fever. Both of us took care of you!" Sakura yelled with misty eyes. She couldn't understand why he was acting this way. However, as soon as the words left her mouth, realization dawned on her as she wondered if it was due to the seal that was on his neck. Hinata glanced towards Sakura and both the girls understood each other's trail of thoughts. Thereafter, Sakura promptly moved towards Sasuke with a kunai in her hand. Sasuke senselessly laughed and caught Sakura's wrist before she could do anything. However, in that split second, Hinata mustered her remaining strength and rushed behind Sasuke and struck a few tenketsu points on his neck that made the Uchiha fall unconscious yet again. Once Sasuke fell on the ground and the black markings covering his body also receded back into the seal. Both the girls sighed in relief as they were able to subdue Sasuke for the time being.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru approached Kin who was still trapped under his jutsu and placed a kunai on her throat. "Take your teammate and leave. We don't want anymore trouble here." The young Nara stated with narrowed eyes. For once, even he was confused as to what was happening here and couldn't come to any conclusion of sorts. He felt it was best if his team grouped up with the remaining Konoha rookie genin teams and proceeded towards the tower. Maybe then he could get some answers. He may not like the Uchiha much but Sasuke was still one of them.

Seeing that one of her teammate was killed and the other one unconscious, Kin knew that she had no chance in completing the mission and raised her arms in defeat. "All right. I will take my teammate and leave the area quietly." She replied a bit irritatingly. She was annoyed that none of her teammates had listened to her about scouting their targets beforehand and gauging their strength. She was also worried about what Orochimaru would do. She turned around and walked towards her knocked out teammate. Picking up Dosu, she once again glanced towards all the Konoha genins and without saying anything further, ran in the opposite direction. Seeing that everything was quiet, Ino and Choji rushed towards Sakura and Hinata who were picking up Sasuke from the ground while Shikamaru moved towards Lee, who was beginning to wake up.

"Sakura, Hinata, what the hell happened to you guys and what was with Sasuke? He appeared to be… different than usual." Ino asked the two girls urgently. Yet again, Sakura and Hinata exchanged a subtle glance and decided not to indulge much until they knew everything.

"Uhm… I don't really know Ino. We were resting over here when those Otogakure genins showed up. And I really don't know what happened with Sasuke. This is the first time we saw him like this too." Sakura replied with a straight face.

"Sasuke did look really different and those black patterns around his body… It seemed strange to be honest." Choji commented. Hinata and Sakura nodded as they supported Sasuke from either sides. They just wanted to get to the tower and meet up with Kakashi and Naruto. Those two would definitely know what was happening to Sasuke. "Have you gotten both the scrolls?" Hinata questioned, hoping to divert the topic. Ino gave a weak smile and quickly took out two scrolls from her pouch with a wide smile. Hinata assumed that Ino and Choji had not seen her kill the Oto genin, otherwise she was certain Ino would have bombarded her with questions.

"Yeah, we got it a few hours ago from one of the Kumogakure teams. Although, Shikamaru and Choji did most of the work…" Ino stated sheepishly. A few seconds later, Hinata turned her attention to her left when she saw Lee approaching them. "Oh, Lee-kun, how are you feeling? I'm really sorry that you got involved in this fight." Hinata said apologetically. Even Sakura lowered her gaze a little but was surprised when she heard Lee's voice.

"It's no problem, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan! Although, I must return to my team now. Let's show our flames of youth in the third round of the chunin exams!" Lee replied enthusiastically. He felt a lot better than before as the nauseated feeling had almost faded. Hinata and Sakura chuckled and then gave a grateful smile to the green-clad genin. Shortly after that, Lee too left the area and ran towards his team.

"Do you want to go to the tower together? I assume your team has also acquired both the scrolls?" Shikamaru questioned. He kept glancing towards Sasuke, especially at the black seal that was visible on his neck. He had a bunch of questions that he wanted to ask but knew it wasn't the right time. "Oh yeah! That's perfect. Both of our teams can join up for the time being, then we can fend off the adversaries much easily." Ino added cheerfully.

"Thanks, Shikamaru. I think that'll be good. The three of us are not in a good condition to fight another team." Hinata replied frankly. Shikamaru simply nodded and a few minutes later team ten and seven immediately left for the tower after gathering all of their belongings.

* * *

 _Two days later_

Two days had quickly passed by since team seven and ten had arrived at the tower. Upon reaching the tower earlier, Sakura and Hinata had immediately rushed Sasuke to a room and made him rest on a bed. Since the jounin sensei were not allowed inside the building until the end of the exam, they couldn't get any word out. Although, much to their relief, Sasuke's condition had improved relatively over the course of two days. His fever had dwindled and even his grumpy mood had become slightly better. Those teams that had failed to collect both the heaven and earth scrolls were immediately escorted off the premises by the end of the fifth day. Currently, all the teams that had passed the second round were grouped in a large hall within the tower. The hall had a large statue of a pair of hands forming the Hitsuji/Ram hand seal on one end along with standings on two sides of the hall for the spectators to stand. From Konoha, team seven, eight, nine, ten and Kabuto's squad had qualified while from Kumogakure it was Samui's team and from Sunagakure, it was Gaara and his siblings. The hall was filled with chatter and whispers among the genins as they waited for their sensei and the Hokage to arrive.

Sasuke shifted in his place a bit uncomfortably as he suddenly placed his hand above the seal on his neck. The action wasn't unnoticed by his teammates as Hinata and Sakura promptly stepped beside him.

"Is it acting up again?" Sakura asked worriedly. She was genuinely worried about his health. Even though he appeared to be fine, she could tell that the seal was interfering with his chakra network. "I… will be fine. Don't worry about me." Sasuke grumbled, trying to keep a calm face.

Few moments later, Minato, Hayate, Anko and Naruto entered followed by the jounin sensei for each of the teams that were gathered. All the genin participants focused their attention in front of them as Minato stepped forward and gazed over all of them with keen eyes.

"Congratulations to all who have passed the second round of the chunin exams. While it may have been easy for some of you, I'm sure there were teams who had quite a hard time too. But, at the end all that matter is that you managed to complete the objective that was given to you. The chunin exams is not only held to gauge the strength of the individual shinobi from each village for promotion…" Minato stated and everyone in the room paid absolute attention to the man who was regarded as the strongest kage in the Elemental Nations. Even the team from Kumogakure listened to each word carefully. A, the current Raikage of Kumogakure had openly admitted his inferiority towards his rival, the Yondaime Hokage. And respecting strength was a common tradition taught in Kumo.

"… but it is also held as a substitute for war and to analyze the strength of the respective nation. The third part of the chunin exams is witnessed by the official delegators of different nation. Depending on the genin's performance, the nation also attracts more business and tourists which augments the economy. Now, as for the third part…" Minato was suddenly interrupted by Hayate, who stepped beside him.

"Hokage-sama, if I may?" Hayate asked and coughed lightly into his hand. Minato simply nodded and stepped back to let the jounin continue further.

"My name is Hayate Gekko and I'll be the proctor for the third part of the chunin exams. However, before we proceed, we will need to hold preliminaries since there are too many participants still remaining." Hayate announced. Most of the genins were unsettled at that prospect and the displeasure was clearly evident on their faces.

"Hey! What the hell? Some of us came back from the forest just a few hours ago!" It was Kiba who voiced his thoughts and several others nodded, agreeing with the young Inuzuka.

"You can't do that. Won't we be given any time to rest or prepare for the preliminary?" Kankuro questioned as he stared at the proctor with an annoyed expression. Even though, his team had finished the second part on the first day itself, it was necessary for him to be among the finalists for the third part.

"I'm afraid the preliminaries will be held right now and cannot be postponed any further. As you were told, the finals of the chunin exams will host several officials which will also include the daimyos of participating nations. Hence, we cannot afford to stretch the finals for too long. However, if anyone wants to quit now, you may do so. The preliminaries will be one on one fights between the participants." Hayate stated firmly, completely ignoring Kiba and Kankuro's rants. Most of the genins became quiet for a few seconds until they heard someone take a step forward.

"I would like quit right now. I'm quite tired from the time spent in the Forest of Death and don't have much chakra left to partake in a fight." Kabuto stated out loud. A lot of the people were surprised on hearing Kabuto's words, especially the genins from Konoha since they knew the number of times Kabuto had failed the chunin exams. Even Naruto found it a little odd since he couldn't exactly ascertain what Kabuto was thinking based on his facial expression. The blond discreetly looked over Kabuto's chakra coils with his rinnegan and narrowed his eyes immediately. Kabuto's chakra reserves were almost on par with Kakashi's and were well developed too. Also, based on how smooth the chakra flow was, Naruto was certain that Kabuto had extremely proficient control over his chakra.

"Alright, please move to the back of the hall and you'll be escorted outside training ground 44 shortly." Hayate replied. He once again asked if anyone wished to leave and then continued to explain the rules of the battle when no one else replied. Meanwhile, Kabuto walked outside the hall where he met up with a chunin and moved towards the exit of training ground 44.

'Something's not right…' Naruto thought. His gaze then suddenly fell upon Sasuke and quirked an eyebrow when Naruto saw him clutch his neck uncomfortably.

"Did you notice? There's a seal on Sasuke's neck…" Naruto nodded when he heard Kakashi whisper to him. "Do you think it was him?" Kakashi asked seriously.

"I can't say anything for certain now. After the encounter, I was certain that Orochimaru had left the area since I couldn't feel his chakra. But the man is known to be elusive. You should definitely check up on him. I don't have much experience with fuinjutsu." Naruto replied, keeping a straight face.

"After his match get's over. I will take him aside and inspect the seal." Kakashi said.

"Alright. You do that. I will go talk to tou-san about this." Naruto said in a hushed voice. Unaware to the two, Anko heard the brief conversation between Naruto and Kakashi. She was informed that Orochimaru had come to Konoha and snuck into the Forest of Death while the genins were there. After hearing Naruto and Kakashi's words, it became clear to her for what reason. Unconsciously, she too clutched her neck where her former sensei had given her the seal, years ago. Before she could walk towards the Hokage and talk to him about this matter, she noticed that Naruto had already moved next to Minato. She decided to stand back and keep a close eye on Sasuke, in case the situation got out of hand. While she was surprised that Sasuke managed to survive Orochimaru's cursed seal, she also knew the dangers it brought.

"Tou-san, there's something you need to know about. I think I know why Orochimaru had come back to the village…" Naruto spoke quietly. Minato kept a calm look and simply looked ahead. Although, he nodded, indicating Naruto to continue. Shortly after that, the jounin sensei walked to the standing above, with their respective teams. While team seven, eight and nine stood on the left standings, team ten and the ones from Kumo and Suna stood on the other side.

"The screen on top will display the names of two genin at random and only those two are required to come down for the fight." Hayate said out loud and pointed towards the large screen just beside the statue.

"Sasuke, what happened back in the forest?" Kakashi asked genuinely. For a moment, Sasuke was surprised that Kakashi already knew about it but he simply sighed knowing, he couldn't have hidden it anyway.

"We have no clue how it happened, Kakashi-sensei. We were sleeping at night under a tree and then suddenly we heard Sasuke scream and he fell unconscious after that. That's when we saw that mark on his neck." Hinata said. Thereafter, Kakashi observed the seal on Sasuke's neck and at first glance he knew what it was. He glanced towards Naruto who was standing beside Minato and nodded.

"Is he going to be okay, sensei?" Sakura questioned. Kakashi turned towards the pink-haired girl gave a comforting smile under his mask. "Don't worry, Sakura." He then turned towards Sasuke and his voice turned a tad bit serious. "I will advise you not to use much chakra in your fight. This seal on your neck is not an ordinary one. The more chakra you use, the more influence the mark will have on you. After your match, I will put a seal on top of this cursed mark to inhibit it's influence on you. Then we'll see if it can be removed or not." Kakashi stated.

"What if I don't want it to be sealed?" Sasuke retorted quite adamantly. He still remembered the overwhelming power coursing through his body when he had used the cursed mark. Kakashi kept his calm at Sasuke's remark and for some reason, he wasn't entirely surprised on hearing that too. Sasuke had always been a little obsessive when it came to obtain more power for the sake of avenging his clan. Even though he could relate to his situation, he didn't wish for his student to walk down the wrong path.

"Sasuke, listen to me. This is one of Orochimaru's modified curse mark. Nothing good will come out of it. I'm sure you have noticed the ill effects it will have on your body. Moreover, this is not a request. I will apply a seal on top of that curse mark." Kakashi stated rigidly. Before Sasuke could reply, he heard his name being called for the first match.

"The first match will be between Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akado. Will the contestants come down?" Hayate announced. Sasuke merely scoffed and walked below to the arena and stood opposite to his opponent. Yoroi's face was greatly concealed by the mask he wore around his mouth that hung to around his neck, sunglasses that obscured his eyes and forehead protector which he wore like a bandana. He also wore the standard attire of his team consisting of a high-collared, sleeveless, purple shirt with a short sleeved, white one underneath, a simple obi around his waist, purple pants, blue sandals and purple fingerless gloves.

"Both of you, ready?" Hayate asked as he looked towards both the contestants. Upon receiving a nod from both, he put his hand down and jumped back, signifying the start of the match. All the people spectating from the standings above intently watched the two to learn more about their fighting styles and abilities.

As soon as Hayate jumped back, both the shinobi stared at each other for a few moments, keen to see who would make the first move. Sasuke settled in his traditional taijutsu kata of the Uchiha Clan. As a few seconds passed, it was Yoroi who made the first move and rushed towards the Uchiha. Sasuke too rushed towards Yoroi, matching his opponent's speed. As the two were at arm's length, Sasuke immediately ducked and attempted to swat him. Yoroi swiftly jumped above Sasuke's legs and aimed a kick to his head. Blocking the kick with his right arm, Sasuke took the opportunity of Yoroi being midair and quickly got up to give a harsh punch to his opponent's torso. Upon contact, Yoroi flew back and hit the wall behind him with a resounding thud.

However, Sasuke immediately fell on one knee as he suddenly felt low on chakra. "What did you do?" Sasuke asked heatedly with narrowed eyes. Once Yoroi got up from the ground, he smirked at the look on Sasuke's face.

"Oh? Don't be so surprised. You aren't the only special one here. I have the ability to absorb chakra. All I need is a mere contact with my hand to absorb your chakra. A few more times and you'll be completely out of chakra and will be rendered immobile." Yoroi boasted as he stepped confidently towards Sasuke. However, he stopped midway when he saw Sasuke get up with a smirk on his face.

"I thought you'd be challenge. Sadly, I was mistaken…" Sasuke commented with a sigh. Yoroi's eyes suddenly widened when everything around him shattered like pieces of glass and he found himself standing in the place before the match started. He gasped and took a step back when he saw Sasuke staring at him with his sharingan.

"Wh… what?" stuttered Yoroi with a horrific look on his face. Capitalizing on the moment, Sasuke immediately rushed behind Yoroi with quick speed and kicked him high into the air. He then jumped too, to appear behind Yoroi hoping to kick him down onto the ground when the cursed seal suddenly became active and started spreading across his body.

Everyone's eyes widened on seeing the seal spread on Sasuke's neck. Anko immediately made a run towards the area to put a stop to the match but was abruptly stopped by Naruto.

"The match needs to be stopped right now! Let me go, Naruto!" Anko more or less yelled with anger but Naruto's grip on her wrist simply became tighter. "You need to calm down. Look back, will you? Sasuke is stronger than you think." Naruto replied calmly. Upon turning back, Anko was utterly shocked to see that Sasuke had managed to stop the seal from spreading further with sheer willpower. She couldn't even begin to understand how he did that. In her younger age, she had struggled a lot in keeping the cursed seal under control and knew how hard it could be.

As Sasuke managed to regain his bearings, he momentarily covered his entire body with raiton chakra. And with speed unseen by the naked eyes, he aimed a brutal kick to Yoroi's shoulder which made him stumble down speedily. As Yoroi fell down, a small crater was formed below and he immediately lost consciousness. A second later when Sasuke landed on the ground, he too fell on th ground with heavy breaths. Kakashi promptly landed beside Sasuke and turned to look at Hayate who was checking up on Yoroi.

"Sasuke Uchiha wins the match!" Hayate announced. Kakashi then picked up Sasuke despite his struggles and shunshined out of the area.

"You should go and see if you can help, Naruto." Minato suggested. Without saying another word, Naruto also shunshined out of the area.

"He's strong…" Karui stated as she folded her arms over her chest. She was impressed with his use of the sharingan along with brief raiton manipulation he had showed.

"Agreed. He's a strong shinobi. And the way he manipulated raiton chakra is similar to the Raikage. Although not on the same level, it was certainly impressive. Still, I doubt if that's all he can do." Samui also commented. Similar chatter was also going among the genin squads. Everyone was greatly impressed with Sasuke's level of raiton manipulation and his use of sharingan. But, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai were also worried about the mark they had seen on Sasuke's neck. All three of them knew about the similar mark on Anko and could only speculate as to how Orochimaru managed to come in contact with Sasuke.

"Would Sakura Haruno and Samui come down?" Hayate announced again.

"Good luck, Sakura-chan. I am sure you'll do well. But, still be careful. She looks to be strong." Hinata said. Sakura smiled on hearing Hinata's words. "Thanks, Hinata. I'll try my best." Sakura replied before heading down. Even Ino, Fu, Kiba and Shikamaru whished her luck on her way down. Once Sakura and Samui were ready, Hayate once again moved back to a safe distance.

Sakura took out a kunai and held it steadily in her right arm while Samui took out her tanto. As Sakura took a step forward, Samui swiftly moved towards Sakura at an impressive speed.

'She's fast.' Sakura thought but kept her cool. Taking out three more kunais, she immediately threw them towards Samui and promptly jumped into the air and began making hand seals. Samui abruptly stopped and deflected all the kunais with her tanto in her left hand while her free arm took out a couple of shurikens from her pouch and flung it towards Sakura.

" **Suiton: Mizurappa** " Sakura said as she expelled a large jet of water from her mouth, aimed at Samui. The force behind the jet of water easily deflected the shurikens and it proceeded towards Samui speedily. Instead of jumping back, Samui too jumped into the air and pointed a beam of electricity from her fingers towards the water. With a look of panic, Sakura quickly stopped her jutsu in fear of being electrocuted. As soon as the two kunoichi landed on the ground, they propelled themselves towards each other as Sakura's kunai clashed against Samui's tanto. The two battled in strength for a few seconds but soon enough Samui began overpowering Sakura. Seeing as she was being pushed back, Sakura let go of her kunai and ducked down to aim a punch to Samui's torso. Sakura's fist barely grazed her when Samui graciously jumped back to avoid a fatal blow.

Upon landing back, even though Samui's face showed no emotion whatsoever, she was greatly intrigued. She had felt the amount of chakra that was coated around her opponent's fist. She would have been in serious trouble had she taken that hit.

"You have impressive reflexes, Samui-san." Sakura stated with a small smile as she took a deep breath. She had been working on accumulating chakra around her fists the past few weeks. Though she hadn't managed to perfect it, she was somewhat getting the hang of it.

"Wow… Look at those two. I didn't think Sakura had become so good…" Ino said, mesmerized by watching the two kunoichi fight. And she wasn't the only one. Even Hinata, Kurenai, Anko, Temari and Karui were greatly impressed by the fight. In several parts of the shinobi world, a kunoichi's strength was often deemed to be lower than that of a man. But watching Sakura and Samui's fight, made them proud to call themselves kunoichi.

"This is seriously troublesome… if anyone of us were to fight those two, I don't think we could win." Shikamaru commented as he leaned on the railings. Choji and Ino merely nodded while keeping their eyes glued to the arena.

"Yosh, Sakura-chan! You can do this! Anything is possible when you're in the springtime of your youth!" Lee cheered loudly, making everyone else look at the green-clad genin dumbly. "That's the spirit, Lee! If you cheer your fellow shinobi more, her confidence will increase even further." Gai also yelled as he patted Lee on the back with a sparkling smile. Tenten chuckled awkwardly when she found several people looking in their team's direction and at this moment, she just wished to escape form everyone's prying gaze.

"Ugh… are those two for real?" Kankuro whispered to his sister quietly. Temari shook her head as she sighed. She couldn't even stand to look at those two's ridiculous outfits.

"You have… interesting friends." Samui commented with a blank expression. Even Sakura laughed with an awkward look. "Ah yes… I sure do." Sakura replied, unsure what to say exactly.

"But I believe we have played for long enough…" Samui replied as she made a quick set of hand seals, most of which were unknown to Sakura. In any case, she stood her ground and prepared herself.

" **Ranton: Reizaa Saakasu** " Samui said out loud. Manipulating raiton and suiton chakra at the same time, she released several threads of lightning from her hand which swiftly moved towards the pink-haired girl. With quick feet, Sakura jumped away but was surprised when the beam of lightning bent fluidly and followed after her. Unable to outrun the beams, she acrobatically managed to dodge some of them with great agility but with sheer number of lightning beams, some of them soon landed a hit and she was pushed back roughly. The very next second, she hit the wall behind her with enough force to make several cracks in it. Soon enough, she slid down and fell on the ground, completely knocked out from the earlier hit.

"Samui from Kumogakure wins the match!" Hayate announced as he checked on Sakura's condition. She had some minor burns on her arms along with some bruises on her back. The medical team shortly came by and took her out of the arena for immediate treatment.

'Ranton? What else have you been hiding A?' Minato thought with a chuckle. He had clashed with the Yondaime Raikage on several occasions during the third shinobi war and he greatly respected the man for his strength. He also knew that the Ranton kekkei genkai was an extremely rare one, even in Kumogakure. He only knew of one other shinobi from Kumo who could use the Ranton kekkei genkai.

"Did you really have to use it?" Omoi asked lazily, whilst still sucking on a lollipop in his mouth. Even Karui was surprised to see her teammate use her kekkei genkai.

"She was strong. I did not wish to indulge her in taijutsu. It would have been dangerous." That was all Samui stated as she walked past them and stood at the side. She would not admit it openly, but till now she was pleasantly surprised by the skills of team seven from Konoha.

"Damn. That's not a kekkei genkai you see very often. It's my first time seeing a user of Ranton kekkei genkai." Asuma commented in appreciation. He thoroughly enjoyed the fight and was certain it would have been a close match, if Sakura had more information regarding her opponent.

"Do you know about that jutsu, Asuma sensei?" Ino asked curiously. Watching Sakura and Samui fight, Ino had suddenly felt a little skeptical of her own skills. Frankly, since graduating from the academy, she hadn't worked on improving her skills greatly. And it made her feel worried about her match. As if sensing her worry, Asuma placed a comforting hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Don't worry too much about your match. Winning right now is not important. Even if you do lose, you get to learn where you can improve upon in the future. What's important is that you fight to your full capability." Asuma said gently. Ino smiled a little on hearing those words as she felt a bit more confident. She knew she had slacked off in her training up till now. So, she couldn't afford to be sad if things didn't go her way. However, she was extremely proud of Sakura. Watching her improvement gave her motivation to improve further.

"And to answer your question, I don't necessarily know about that particular jutsu. But I do know that girl has the Ranton kekkei genkai. It's generally common in Kaminari no Kuni. Even then, it's an exceedingly rare kekkei genkai." Asuma stated.

"That's amazing. I never knew about that." Ino replied as she unknowingly glanced towards Samui. A lot of the Konoha genins were surprised on hearing that fact. Hinata wanted to go down and check up on her teammate but knew she couldn't do that. She was also worried about Sasuke, since Kakashi and Naruto still hadn't returned with him. But she kept herself composed. She couldn't afford to lose in the preliminary. And judging by the skill displayed by Samui, she could only assume that her teammates were most likely on the same level. Plus, the fact that she might have to face a jinchuriki was quite unsettling. Even though, she had practiced with Naruto on several occasions, he had never used bijuu chakra against her. Essentially, she had never fought against a jinchuriki who used their bijuu's chakra. Hinata then shifted her attention towards the arena again, when Shikamaru and Karui's name was called.

"Shikamaru, stop acting lazy for this match at least! You can do this!" Ino cheered him which only made the young Nara sigh. 'Troublesome woman…' Shikamaru thought. He'd rather be sitting at home playing shogi or lying under the sun. But his mother would never let him rest if she knew he failed the chunin exams on purpose. He dreaded what his mother might do if she learnt that he took the exams too lightly.

* * *

While the preliminaries were going on in the arena at the ground floor of the tower, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were in a closed room on the second floor. After inspecting the seal with his rinnegan, Naruto had concluded that Orochimaru had transfused a part of his own soul mixed with sage chakra to form the seal. But the intriguing part was that, the seal burst into small tendrils inside Sasuke's body which connected to each of his chakra pathway. In essence, Orochimaru's cursed seal acted like a parasite which clung to Sasuke's chakra network for support. For the time being, Kakashi had put a suppressing seal on top of the cursed seal which put it in a dormant state. While the suppression seal did not completely block the cursed seal, it would reduce the activity of the seal and the influence it would normally have on Sasuke.

"Do you think it can be removed?" Naruto asked as he sat beside the unconscious form of Sasuke. The application of applying the suppression seal on Sasuke had taken a lot of energy from him, which rendered him exhausted for a few hours.

"I'm not really sure. Minato-sensei has been working on a seal to counteract this particular seal developed by Orochimaru for a few years. But he hasn't had much success." Kakashi replied tiredly.

"Really? Who else has it?" Naruto asked curiously. He was surprised as well as angry at the fact that Orochimaru had applied the seal someone else too.

"Anko Mitarashi. I'm not surprised that you don't know about it. In fact, majority of the Konoha populace don't know about it. Before Orochimaru defected Konoha, he had taken Anko as his student. Orochimaru had taken her outside the village stating it was for training. But, days later we learnt that he had deserted the village and Anko was found in one of his laboratories locked in a room with that seal. It's a very complex seal and I hoped to never see it again." Kakashi revealed somberly. Even Naruto felt saddened on hearing that. He never expected Anko to have gone through such pain and looking at her now, it was quite frankly, hard to believe.

"That bastard… I should have made sure to kill him in Takigakure…" cursed Naruto as he punched the ground beside him in frustration.

"Why didn't you finish him off in the forest? I assumed you would have done so." Kakashi asked as he got up from the ground. They had been away from the arena for quite some time. And he really did not wish to miss his students' matches.

"He had sent a clone of some sort. I can't exactly say what, but the one in the forest did not have the same amount of chakra as Orochimaru. Plus, the chakra I sensed from his clone was somewhat different and it felt much denser than the one I felt from him in Takigakure." Naruto answered with a sigh. He did not wish to reveal the truth to Kakashi right now and thus had to bend the truth a little. Still, he was honestly tired of Orochimaru. The snake sannin's existence only brought misery to Konohagakure. But the information he learnt from him few days ago was mind boggling. To know that there's another rinnegan user was alarming indeed. He would certainly need to talk to Jiraiya about this matter. He was the only one who knew Orochimaru better than anyone else.

"Anyway, let's head back. I'll drop Sasuke off at the infirmary and then meet you at the arena." Kakashi stated and the two shortly left the room.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: Sadly, I could not extend this chapter much to accommodate rest of the fights in the preliminary. I will not be show casing all the matches in detail. There are twenty people in the prelims, so, I will be writing five out of the ten matches in detail. None of the genins will be showing their entire strength during these prelims, since those who do qualify will want to keep a few tricks for the finals. I will also display Hinata's relation with Neji in the next chapter and how it has developed for the better or worse since Naruto had left the academy. The next chapter will conclude the preliminary and will be about the one month time period before the finals begin. Also, Naruto will meet with Jiraiya and talk to him about his conversation with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. Sasuke will also approach Naruto and talk to him about the strange feelings that have been surfacing within him. Shisui will finally make an appearence again next chapter. Since Jiraiya and he do most of the heavy reconnaissance for the village, they will bring up the topic of Konoha being most likely attacked by Orochimaru and Danzo during the Chunin exam finals.**_

 _ **But, I do believe, Naruto will have a plan to use Orochimaru for his own plan. Whether he will kill Orochimaru or not, will depend. That particular aspect hasn't been decided yet. However, Danzo's motives will be clearly revealed once the attack on Konoha commences. I have to say regrettably, that one or two important people may perish during the attack on Konoha. Well, that's all the spoilers for the upcoming chapters.**_

 _ **I had decided to take a two week break, hence, I hadn't updated the story. Hopefully, I will get the flow back again. Do follow, favorite and review the story! And please let me know your opinions, so, I may try my best to steer the story in a direction which the readers would enjoy.**_

 **Until next time!**


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